Children's Home run by Esland South Limited in Kent

Inspection report for children’s home: SC059037 1 SC059037 Registered provider: Esland South Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides long-term care and accommodation for a maximum of four children who display a range of challenging behaviours and complex emotions.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in December 2019.

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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 10 December 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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC059037 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/07/2019 Full Good 16/01/2019 Full Good 15/08/2017 Full Outstanding 01/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC059037 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress from their starting points. Staff help children to set realistic goals and children recognise in themselves the changes they have made. They talk with pride about what they have achieved and how staff have helped them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive experiences on a day-to-day basis. They are provided with a wide range of activities, such as going to the cinema, the gym and the zoo. COVID- 19 has presented a challenge to the home in relation to its impact on children, but leaders and staff have worked hard to ensure that its effects have been minimal. Children described being able to talk to staff when they were feeling sad due to having to isolate or be in lockdown.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend school regularly and have improved attainment levels. Children who have previously missed significant amounts of education have been able to use support from staff to help them catch up on missed learning. One child who has missed several years of school is now confident and achieving more than was expected. A child who has recently moved into the home with a history of school refusal has been supported to go to school full time.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children feel valued and listened to. There are regular one-to-one sessions with staff that enable children to explore issues that are personal to them. Through these sessions, children are offered support, guidance and education to ensure that they understand the impact of their life choices. One-to-one work is well planned and well reviewed, meaning that each month staff and children know what they are hoping to achieve.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

For children moving into the home, there is robust planning in place. Staff ensure that key information is always gathered prior to admission and managers use this to make sure they fully understand the needs of children when they come to live at the home. Well-informed care plans provide staff and children with clear guidance on what the aims of placement are. Children moving on from the home always complete a lessons learned exercise with all staff. This gives children the opportunity to think about what could have been done better but also to celebrate the success that they have had.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Despite the bedrooms being personalised and well decorated there are parts of the home that need urgent attention. The manager has not been supported by the provider in being able to update communal areas to meet her aspirations for the home. Several fire doors did not close effectively, and this had not been picked up in recent weekly checks. This was rectified during the inspection, with clear guidance given to staff on what to be looking for. Inspection report for children’s home: SC059037 4

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

Risks for children are well understood by leaders and managers. There are clear individual risk assessments and behaviour management plans in place to support care practice. These are regularly reviewed and updated following significant incidents. This has resulted in a reduction of risk-taking behaviours by the children.

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

When children go missing from the home, staff are proactive in searching the area and maintaining attempts to call and communicate with children and key people in their network to find them and ensure their safe return. On return, children are sensitively supported and there is a good understanding of why a child may have gone missing.

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

Leaders and managers communicate well with external agencies when children are putting themselves at risk. There are regular meetings to discuss the needs of individual children and what staff can do to support them. When the response from external agencies has not been effective, this has been successfully challenged by the registered manager to avoid a recurrence.

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

Staff manage incidents well, using skilled responses to de-escalate situations in line with the home’s model of care. Incidents of physical intervention are rare. When they do occur, reports of the incident are consistently reviewed by managers to ensure that safe and effective care has been delivered. However, incident reports do not provide sufficient detail to fully understand the methods used during physical interventions. This undermines the manager’s ability to understand precisely what took place and what lessons may be learned.

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

Children have a good understanding of risks with regard to the use of the internet. When children put themselves at risk there is a robust response that aims to educate children. Leaders and managers have used the police to support children in this education. This has meant children have the supervision and support they need to reduce the risks they may face when online.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has a clear expectation about what the children can achieve. She does not believe that the children should be discriminated against for being in care and works hard to ensure that they have access to all the same services and opportunities that other children have. The children describe living in the home as being in a normal home and they are proud when their friends visit.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is good monitoring of records and care plans, which ensures that they are updated and remain relevant. Managers ensure that any change in children’s behaviour is recorded effectively, and this has contributed to the reduction of incidents and the need for physical interventions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive frequent and effective supervision and appraisals. Supervision is supplemented with monthly meetings, at which the registered manager recognises Inspection report for children’s home: SC059037 5 individual good practice. Staff feel supported, valued and appropriately challenged. Staff comment that the registered manager will do anything to support them. The registered manager also uses staff meetings to share research that is relevant to working with the children. This, combined with a well-planned training programme, ensures that staff are suitably trained to provide care and support to the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has a good understanding of the progress that children make and ensures that this is shared. This allows staff, external agencies and, most importantly, children to be able to recognise the progress that they have made.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children are confident in being able to express themselves in the home. The manager has created an open culture where children are encouraged to discuss and learn about different cultures. This is done through children’s meetings and one-to- one work, and informal discussions to help children understand difference.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are subject to suitable checks and vetting when they come to work in the home. However, the manager’s oversight of safe recruitment practice is hampered because the recording and storage of recruitment information is fragmented. Inspection report for children’s home: SC059037 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

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment in the children’s home. (Regulation 25 (1)(a)) 31 March 2022

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(iv)) 31 March 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered person should maintain good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguard children and minimise potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)  The registered person should ensure that each child’s day-to-day health and well- being needs are met. Staff should work to make the children’s home an environment that supports children’s physical, mental and emotional health, in line with the approach set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 33, paragraph 7.3) Inspection report for children’s home: SC059037 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’. Inspection report for children’s home: SC059037 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Esland South Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Mark Newington, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC059037 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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