Children's Home run by Esland North Limited in Warrington

Inspection report children’s home: 2621334 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 registered on 16 April 2021 and is run by a private company. It provides care for up to three children with emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager resigned on 17 September 2021. The interim manager is applying to Ofsted for registration.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

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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: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2621334 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report children’s home: 2621334 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive experiences living at this home. The standard of individualised care that they receive is making an important difference to their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy warm and trusting relationships with staff. They know that staff care about them and will always try their best to help them. Staff are getting to know the children very well. They are helping children to make progress in their learning, health, emotional well-being and relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children feel able to talk to staff and know that their views are taken seriously. Staff respond appropriately to children’s views. Children are involved in decisions which affect their lives, including how their bedrooms are decorated and about seeing their family and friends.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children see the important people in their lives. They stay with their families overnight. Staff work effectively with children, their families and friends to make sure that seeing each other is a safe and positive experience. Staff help children to rebuild significant family relationships and work through any difficulties. Staff understand that sometimes children may find spending time with their families difficult and provide children with reassurance and appropriate support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote and support children’s learning. The manager and staff actively advocate for children to make sure that local authorities and education providers deliver the high-quality support that is needed to meet children’s needs and improve their education outcomes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff make sure that children have a structured day and learning opportunities to help them to prepare to return to full-time education. Children take part in practical activities to develop their knowledge and skills, including bicycle maintenance and road safety, cooking, and learning to manage money. Staff support children to meet the objectives in their education, health and care plans.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand and monitor children’s health needs. They make sure that children receive safe and effective advice, support and treatment. Children are developing healthier lifestyles. They enjoy healthy and nutritious diets and are physically active. Staff monitor children’s emotional well-being carefully and seek professional advice when necessary.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The house is not always cleaned or maintained to an appropriate standard. In addition, damage to the home is not always repaired without delay. Inspection report children’s home: 2621334 4

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

Children feel safe. Staff understand each child’s vulnerabilities and know what they must do to protect children from harm. Staff actively and continually assess the dangers for each child and follow up-to-date plans effectively to reduce the risk of harm. Children are now safer from the risks of abuse, substance misuse, criminal exploitation, aggression and harmful relationships.

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

Staff are vigilant and take appropriate action when they have serious concerns about children’s safety. They work well with parents, social workers and the police to understand and manage risks to children’s safety effectively. For example, since clear arrangements for children to see their family and friends have been agreed, children are no longer going missing from home.

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

Staff have the skills and confidence to help children understand about healthy relationships and how to keep themselves safe. Children are getting better at dealing with disappointment. They are less likely to get angry when they lose a game.

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

Staff understand the impact of trauma and experiences on children’s development and relationships. They understand that children may communicate their feelings and frustrations through their behaviour. They provide children with emotional warmth and clear routines, boundaries and expectations that help children to develop a sense of security. A social worker said, ‘Staff understand the child as a person and see beyond his presenting behaviour. They persevere when he tries to push them away.’

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

Staff show insight into how best to support individual children when they are upset. A child said, ‘Certain staff can see when I am getting fed up. They get me and know how to help me. Staff came and sat with me when I was upset, just sat there and letting me talk when I was ready and giving me a hug.’

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

Staff have the skills and knowledge to manage the risks of using social media for some children. They help children to learn how to be safe online. Staff monitor children’s time on the internet and take immediate action when they have concerns about the children’s welfare. However, the manager and staff have not considered these risks in children’s plans and have not updated a child’s plan following a recent concern.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager provides strong and effective leadership. She has developed a culture of being ambitious for children to be safe, happy and to reach their potential, despite the difficulties they may have experienced.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are positive, caring and enthusiastic. They place the well-being of children at the centre of their practice. There are enough suitable staff available to meet children’s needs. The manager and leaders have responded effectively to Inspection report children’s home: 2621334 5 unexpected staff absences due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Children have continued to be looked after by staff they know and who know them well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Several staff are new to working in a children’s home. They receive suitable guidance, advice and support from the manager and their experienced and qualified colleagues.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager encourages and supports staff to develop their confidence, skills and knowledge through training and sharing skills in team meetings. The manager and staff are developing consistent approaches to supporting children. However, the adoption of a reflective practice in supervision would enhance staff’s abilities and skills and the manager’s evaluation of staff’s performance and development needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s plans continue to be followed and reviewed regularly. The manager and staff have strong relationships with partner agencies. They work together effectively to identify and meet children’s needs consistently. For example, the manager organised a meeting with the relevant professionals to consider concerns about a child’s welfare and devise a plan to provide the child with the right support to meet their current needs and circumstances.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and leaders use monitoring and review systems to have a detailed understanding of the effect that the quality of care is having on children’s progress and experiences. The manager uses this understanding to inform practice and find new and better ways to support children. Inspection report children’s home: 2621334 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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to making sure that children’s risk assessments and plans include the safe use of social media and technology; are kept up to date; and show the arrangements for managing the risk for each child. 31 January 2022

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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 to the registered person making sure that the house is clean to reduce the risk of infection, and that repairs are carried out promptly. 31 January 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 31 January 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 2621334 7 This relates to making sure that staff supervision meetings include opportunities for reflective practice to develop their confidence, skills and knowledge and identify any areas for improving the quality of care that children receive.

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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: 2621334 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: Suites 1 and 5, Riverside Business Centre, Foundry Lane, Milford, Belper, Derbyshire DE56 0RN

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Inspector

Nick Veysey, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2621334 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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