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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC063794 1 SC063794 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 owned by a private company. The home provides care for up to three children who have experienced social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a permanent registered manager, who is suitably experienced.

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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: sustained effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC063794 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/03/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness 18/05/2021 Full Good 08/04/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 10/10/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC063794 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are currently two children living at the home, who have both moved in since the last inspection. Staff have documented children’s introductions to the home well. These records are enhanced by illustrations and photos to capture this event for children’s memory logs. The children at the home are well matched. They have shared interests. When there are tensions, staff intervene and take action to restore harmony.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children appreciate the rural setting of the home. For example, staff encourage and share in children’s excitement and anticipation of the arrival of the new lambs on their land. A priority of the manager has been to create a homely environment which mirrors a family setting. As a result, children are extremely comfortable and relaxed in all areas of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Currently, the outhouse and annex building on the home’s site are out of use. The renovation work needed to upgrade these is scheduled to be carried out imminently.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Promoting independence skills is a key focus of the home. One child is working through an independence programme. She is immensely proud of her progress and looking forward to the next stage. The upgraded annex building will offer an opportunity for independent living in a safe and supportive way.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy activities in line with their interests. They enjoy going out to the nail salon and shopping. Staff put in a great deal of effort and planning for children to enjoy special occasions at the home. One child told the inspector that her birthday gifts and celebrations were far more than she ever imagined. As a result, she feels valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to strengthen relationships with their families. Staff recognise the importance of family relationships for children. There is a plan for one child to move to the full-time care of her family shortly. The social worker acknowledges the progress she has made at the home in getting to this point.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have good relationships with staff. Staff are very available to children in the communal areas. As a result, children are enthusiastic to talk to staff, sharing views and enjoying spending time with them. Staff have a full understanding of children’s needs. Staff provide care that promotes children’s physical and emotional health. Children access routine healthcare and specialist care when required. The organisation’s clinical team provides interventions to support this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s education is well promoted at the home. Children have accessed the organisation’s education provision as an interim arrangement. As a result, children have made educational progress. The manager has led partnership working to establish longer-term plans for children’s education. One child has recently started Inspection report for children’s home: SC063794 4 attending school. An appropriate transition plan has enabled a smooth and positive introduction to school life. This child will take GCSEs in core subjects this summer.

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

Children have trusting relationships with staff. Children confide in staff and feel comfortable making disclosures around their lived experiences. As a result, children are getting the support to manage their trauma and improve their emotional well- being.

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

Children know how to make a complaint. The manager takes complaints seriously. There have been two instances when a child has made a complaint. Each time there has been a thorough investigation and the manager has given children feedback. Children at the home do not usually go missing. Staff know what action to take to prevent and respond to missing-from-home incidents.

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

Staff understand children’s individual risks and vulnerabilities. The measures staff need to take to safeguard children are set out in their plans. Where there is a significant risk identified, staff put contracts in place. This ensures that the child understands what measures are in place to safeguard them and what the expectations are of them, for example, in relation to mobile phone use. Children know how and when measures are to be reviewed. This ensures that the least restrictive measures are in place and children learn how to keep themselves safe.

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

Staff log any concern as an incident. This enables them to address any concerns as swiftly as possible. The manager has full oversight of concerns and incidents. As a result, staff take necessary action, for example, updating care plans and risk assessments and informing relevant professionals.

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

Staff know about triggers for children’s behaviour and can identify when children are anxious or unsettled. Staff understand and apply de-escalation strategies to promote positive behaviour. As a result, no physical intervention has been necessary. However, the home’s approach to behaviour management is not clearly set out in the policy.

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

The manager and staff are vigilant around online safety. Staff have training in online safety. This is frequently discussed by the team to ensure all staff are aware of resources and current trends. Staff conduct direct work with children to educate them around the risks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is very enthusiastic about her role. She is working towards her management qualification. She is exceptionally proud of the progress children make at the home. The manager has trust and confidence in the staff team. She is well supported by the wider organisation, in particular the area manager. Inspection report for children’s home: SC063794 5 The manager and staff are aspirational for children and believe in their potential. The care provided has a strong focus on preparing children for their next steps to adulthood.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The management team has excellent oversight of the home and children’s progress. The clinical team supports this by providing periodic assessments of children’s progress. This supports children’s care planning. The manager and the organisation use a range of internal and external monitoring tools. Managers review concerns and significant events. This leads to production of a ‘lessons learned’ report. Learning is shared throughout the organisation. There is a strong ethos of continual development at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is a positive advocate for children. She respectfully challenges other agencies when necessary, for example, in ensuring that safe arrangements are in place for a child’s contact with their family.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has a competent workforce who have completed a wide range of training. Despite this, there are some inconsistencies in what training staff should complete. For example, not all staff have completed the enhanced safeguarding training. This may lead to missed opportunities for staff development. This is mitigated by staff development sessions which complement regular staff supervision.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The in-depth induction programme for new starters prepares staff well for their roles. Managers monitor progress of staff qualifications closely, providing support to ensure that these are completed in a timely way. Inspection report for children’s home: SC063794 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the behaviour management policy describes the home’s approach to promoting positive behaviour and the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in the home. These measures should be set in the context of building positive relationships with children. The behaviour management policy should set out how staff are trained and supported to meet children’s needs. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.33)  The registered person should ensure that staff have the knowledge and skills to recognise and be alert for any signs that might indicate a child is in any way at risk of harm. The registered person should ensure that skills in safeguarding are gained, refreshed and recorded in the home’s workforce plan. The registered person should have a workforce plan detailing any further training required for

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Recommendations

staff, to enable the delivery of the home’s statement of purpose. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.12 and page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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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: SC063794 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: Esland Ltd, Suite 1 & 5, Riverside Business Centre, Foundry Lane, Milford, Belper DE56 0RN

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Inspector

Alison Snell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC063794 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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