Children's Home run by Esland North Limited in Leicestershire

Inspection report children’s home: 1245565 1 Registered provider: Esland North Limited Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides care and accommodation for up to three children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home’s manager has been in post since November 2021 and has applied to be registered.

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Inspection date: 15 February 2022

Date of last inspection: 22 November 2021

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Inspection date: 15 February 2022

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Inspection date: 15 February 2022

Enforcement action since last inspection: a compliance notice has been issued under regulation 12, the protection of children standard. Inspection report children’s home: 1245565 2

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged requires improvement to be good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has declined in effectiveness.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Some management systems are not effective. Staff have not received regular supervision, maintenance issues have not been reported quickly and the monitoring of staff performance has not identified potential weaknesses.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff have failed to take all the necessary steps to keep children safe. Children have been able to leave their bedrooms in the early hours of the morning without staff being aware. Protocols designed to keep the child safe have not been followed. For example, staff are not aware that children have left their room at night, despite the use of door alarms. During an incident at night in which children were not supervised, children were harmed.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

On another occasion, a lack of effective supervision meant that a child took a potentially dangerous object from the staff office. The object was not stored securely.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

In some cases, staff have been unable to set or enforce boundaries for children. Some staff have reported feeling anxious about challenging the behaviour of children. This has meant that children have not felt safe and secure.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

When concerns about staff conduct were raised with managers, they did not take action to assess and minimise potential risks to children.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

At the last inspection, it was identified that staff are not completing the relevant qualification quickly enough. This is still the case. Staff have still not seen their assessor, had study tasks given to them or had their work reviewed. Arrangements for staff training have improved but there are still gaps in training for some staff, particularly in areas specific to the needs and risks of children.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Some parts of the home are well decorated and provide a homely environment for children. However, other parts of the home are worn and not clean. Maintenance systems are not effective. As a result, damage is not repaired quickly enough. Inspection report children’s home: 1245565 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/11/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 18/06/2018 Full Good 13/03/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 25/07/2017 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: 1245565 4

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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 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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(b)) 21 March 2022

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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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to the oversight of staff practice, staff supervision and staff development. 21 March 2022

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Requirement Due date

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 21 March 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 1245565 5 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 April2014, 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 (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the manager ensuring that all staff enrolled on the level 3 qualification are supported to make progress. Additionally, the manager must take the necessary action to ensure that staff who are out of timescales with the level 3 qualification are supported to complete this.

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 The registered person must 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 about individual children in a non- stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party 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)  The registered person must ensure that the home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of the children. Children’s homes will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. The home must comply with relevant health and safety legislation, such as alarms and food hygiene. However, in doing so, the home should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than

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Recommendations

‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) Inspection report children’s home: 1245565 6

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Information about this inspection

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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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: 1245565 7

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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

Zoey Lee, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1245565 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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