Children's home run by Esland North Limited in Amber Valley

Inspection report for children's home: SC478991 1 SC478991 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 home is registered to provide care for up to four children with a learning disability and associated complex needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in February 2022.

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Inspection date: 17 March 2022

Date of last inspection: 7 December 2021

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Inspection date: 17 March 2022

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Inspection date: 17 March 2022

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC478991 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 this interim inspection, Ofsted judged that it has declined in effectiveness.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Serious failings were identified in the leadership and management of the home. In particular, the manager’s oversight is poor.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Due to the significant concerns found during the inspection, Ofsted raised five requirements.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff are not skilled in actively assessing risks presented by children. For example, staff are not using their professional judgement to follow children’s risk management plans. As a result, staff are implementing restrictive practices such as locking doors, when this is not required as children are settled and present no risk. This approach has resulted in restrictive practice that unnecessarily deprives children of their liberty.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The quality of risk assessments is poor. They lack accurate information about the staffing levels required to manage risks to children. In addition, risk assessments lack sufficient information about the risks presented by children and the strategies to reduce the risks. Consequently, their effectiveness is hindered.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff and the manager take insufficient action when children self-harm. The recording of incidents lacks sufficient detail and risk assessments are not updated to address known vulnerabilities. Staff do not follow the child’s behavioural support plan to complete a debrief following an incident. In addition, the manager’s oversight of incidents is poor. This practice does not help minimise risks to children.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Records of physical restraints of children lack sufficient detail. Staff do not consistently record the events leading up to the restraint and the details of who was involved. The manager’s oversight is poor and does not reflect the effectiveness or proportionality of the intervention. The lack of adequate scrutiny of incidents may lead to unsafe practice that could result in children being harmed.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff do not consistently complete direct work with children. Staff are not evidencing how they are supporting children to understand and to reduce their risks through key-work sessions. This may impact on the progress that children make in the home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager does not ensure that all relevant safe recruitment checks are completed for agency staff working in the home. As a result, the manager is not assured that all adults working with children have been suitably vetted. Inspection report for children's home: SC478991 3 Staff do not consistently use sanctions effectively. Sanctions are not always used restoratively to help children understand the impact of their behaviours. The recording of sanctions is inconsistent and the manager does not review their use by staff. This impacts on the effectiveness of the sanction, and the manager is not consistently assured that the sanction used is appropriate.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Significant damage has been caused to some areas of the home, which impacts on the overall environment. Some areas of disrepair have not been addressed since the previous inspection. As a result, the environment feels unwelcoming and lacks warmth.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff and the manager ensure that there is effective communication with partner agencies. For example, action has been taken to address barriers to children making progress in their education, and a tutor has been appointed who has a good understanding of a child’s needs. However, staff do not consistently record the agreed actions to continue to support children. Consequently, not all staff are aware of the outcome of discussions held to enable them to support children effectively.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff ensure that children’s social workers receive detailed weekly reports about children. One child’s social worker said they are fully informed and kept up to date of serious incidents in the home. This approach supports a joined-up approach when implementing plans and risk assessments for children.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children have made progress in the home. For example, children who have previously only accessed essential activities in the community are now able to go out on other activities that they enjoy, with the support of staff. As a result, children are having positive experiences in the home. Inspection report for children's home: SC478991 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/12/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 10/02/2020 Full Good 13/03/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 24/04/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC478991 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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Requirement Due date

make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice. (Regulation 6 (1) (a)(b) (2)(b)(iv)(ix)

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager should ensure that staff demonstrate a good understanding of a child’s deprivation of liberty order and ensure that they follow the risk management plan which allows for permissive practice that does not restrict the child’s liberty. 26 April 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— that staff— 6 May 2022 Inspection report for children's home: SC478991 6 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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2) (a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, staff and the manager should ensure that risk assessments reflect accurate information about risks to children and risks presented by children. The manager should ensure that staff follow the child’s risk assessments when serious incidents occur and assessments should be reviewed, updated and monitored regularly.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the manager should ensure that staff complete regular key-work sessions with children to help them to understand their experiences and help reduce their risks.

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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; 6 May 2022 Inspection report for children's home: SC478991 7 ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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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)(a)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager should ensure that staff have the skills, experience and knowledge to manage children’s behaviour.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the manager should ensure that they implement effective monitoring and review systems to identify shortfalls in staff’s practice, and to continuously review the quality of care provided to children.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was issued at the last inspection and is restated.

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Requirement Due date

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

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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

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager should ensure that agencies commissioned to employ agency staff carry out all the relevant checks to ensure their suitability to work with children. 26 April 2022 Inspection report for children's home: SC478991 8 This requirement was issued at the last inspection and is restated as shortfalls have been evidenced in this inspection.

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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

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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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. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii) (b)(i)(ii) (c)(iv)) 26 April 2022 Inspection report for children's home: SC478991 9 In particular, the manager should ensure that staff record a detailed account of physical restraints and that this meets regulation requirements. The manager should ensure that oversight identifies any shortfalls in staff’s practice.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the children’s home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meet the needs of the children. This specifically relates to works to the ground floor bathroom being completed and ensuring thorough cleaning of the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that all staff understand how to implement effective sanctions that are restorative in nature, as well as understand and implement the system in place for rewarding and celebrating positive behaviour. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)  The registered person should ensure that staff are aware of the decision-making delegated to them in relation to a child’s education. The manager should ensure that agreed outcomes of any meetings should be included on the child’s record to

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Recommendations

ensure that all staff are aware of their responsibilities. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 27, paragraph 5.9)

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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 for children's home: SC478991 10

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

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Jodie Whitehouse

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Inspector

Mazviita Makiyi, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC478991 11 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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