Children's home run by Esland North Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2540927 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 privately owned and provides care and accommodation for a maximum of three children and young people aged between eight and 17 with emotional difficulties, including, but not exclusively, mild to moderate learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is experienced and registered with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended 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

Date of last inspection: 13 January 2020

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2540927 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/01/2020 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2540927 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from having good relationships with staff. One child said, ‘I really like living here, I love the staff, they are always here for me.’ Children form trusting bonds with staff, enabling them to talk about difficult emotions and feelings. This helps staff to understand the underlying reasons for unsettled behaviour and to manage this behaviour more effectively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support and encourage children to have fulfilling and enjoyable relationships with their families and friends. Children experience improved relationships with those who are important to them, with increased direct and indirect contact. Children are also well supported to repair significant relationships that had previously broken down.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress in education from their starting points. Children spoke positively about education, despite one child having previously experienced significant disruptions in their education history. However, both children are now attending full-time education and are proud of the achievements they have made.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Meaningful discussions take place between staff and children on a regular basis. These help children to achieve realistic goals and expectations. For example, one child has started to have a short amount of free time in the local community, developing independence skills and self-confidence. This enables children to learn to better manage risk while there is a support network around them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children moving on from the home to semi-independence receive support to make this a smooth transition. Early planning and shared goals ensure that children acquire the skills they will need when leaving care. Staff help children to develop the strategies needed to cope with living alone while still having the support of staff around them. The manager and staff keep in contact with children long after they leave the home. This is a result of excellent relationships developed in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff create beautiful memory books capturing each child’s achievements and positive memories whilst at the home. This enables the child to reflect on this in later life, showing they are valued and loved

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

Staff have a good understanding of children’s needs and risks. However, risk assessments did not identify all known risks for one child and lacked guidance to staff on how to manage the risks. This prevents staff from having a clear understanding of children’s vulnerabilities. The manager is in the process of combining all risk assessments that are in place for each child into one document, to make this user friendly and to provide clear guidance to staff. Inspection report for children’s home: 2540927 4 Staff help children to keep safe while they use social media and other online activities. Staff use a variety of strategies to protect children, such as the use of phone contracts, setting expectations, and planned discussions with children to support them to understand risks. Staff are appropriately trained to help children to manage online activity safely. As a result, children enjoy social media and their

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

online activities while being supported to do this safely.

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

Children can identify a trusted adult that they would speak to if they had any concerns. All complaints and allegations that have been made have been treated seriously and thoroughly investigated. The appropriate agencies are consulted with and, where appropriate, involved in investigations.

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

The manager places the safety and welfare of children first and recruits new staff in accordance with safer recruitment protocols. New staff undergo a range of checks that are designed to minimise the likelihood of children being harmed by those caring for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager was registered in October 2021. He has demonstrated a clear commitment to the children and staff. He is held in high regard by children, staff and professionals. He has created a happy home where children are loved, and the staff feel supported and valued. One staff member said, ‘The manager is the most approachable manager I have worked with. It feels like a family away from home.’ Another staff member said, ‘We are just like a massive family.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has very good relationships with children. He maintains a detailed understanding of the plans for children and will advocate on behalf of children if they do not believe that other agencies are working effectively. Children respect the manager and know they can turn to him at any time for help and support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are happy, motivated and report that they feel valued. Staff receive regular supervision. However, the standards of supervision vary. Staff would benefit from more reflective supervision. This is a missed opportunity for staff to learn and develop within their role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Despite the impact of COVID-19 on training for staff, staff have completed all the required training to help them meet the needs of the children. This equips staff with the knowledge and skills they need to keep children safe. The manager has systems in place to review the training needs of the team, reducing gaps in the training and development needs of staff. Inspection report for children’s home: 2540927 5

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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 is specifically in relation to ensuring that risk assessments reflect the needs and identified risks of the child and include guidance on how staff should respond to risks. 7 April 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered person must have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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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: 2540927 6

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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 & 5, Riverside Business Centre, Foundry Lane, Milford, Belper, Derbyshire DE56 0RN

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Inspector

Zoey Lee, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2540927 7 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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