Children's home run by Esland North Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2570055 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 operated by a private company. It is registered to provide care for three children who have had adverse childhood experiences.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since January 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is undertaking a level 5 qualification in leadership and management

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2570055 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/05/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2570055 3

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improvement to be good

Three children were living at the home at the time of inspection. Two children who previously lived at the home have moved into placements in their home authorities.

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improvement to be good

Children’s overall experiences and progress have been compromised because of an unsettled period. Some children are making progress, while others do not actively engage in the daily routines of the home. All enjoy a committed staff team that works hard to ensure that each child is settled and happy. Those who have previous experience of placement disruptions are beginning to develop trusting relationships.

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improvement to be good

Relationships between children and staff are mostly positive. The children said that they enjoyed spending time with staff and felt ‘cared for’. However, not all the staff caring for the children had a good knowledge of them. For example, some staff were unaware of the children’s care history and could not tell the inspector how often and who they spent family time with. This does not support staff in providing effective individualised care.

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improvement to be good

Children enjoy good health, and they have access to specialist services and support to promote their physical and emotional well-being. They are encouraged and supported to attend routine health appointments. Appropriate arrangements are in place for the safe administration and management of medicines to promote the safety and well-being of children.

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improvement to be good

Children receive education based on their individual needs, which helps ensure that they are receiving the right support. Staff attend meetings and visit schools and colleges regularly to ensure that information is shared. As a result, a consistent approach to communication methods and behaviour support is implemented.

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improvement to be good

Staff maintain regular communication with children’s social workers and family members, and they support and facilitate children’s visits to family members. This promotes children’s sense of identity and enables them to retain positive links with people who are important to them.

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improvement to be good

Children who are approaching adulthood receive support to develop practical life skills, such as cooking, budgeting and independent travel. Staff also carry out work to help children understand the realities of living alone, such as problem-solving and managing their anxieties. This helps to improve children’s emotional resilience as they move towards adulthood. Inspection report for children’s home: 2570055 4

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improvement to be good

Children’s positive behaviour is promoted, and restraint is rarely used. However, agency staff have not been trained in the organisation’s model of restraint. This has the potential to compromise the care of children and cause harm.

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improvement to be good

Children do not receive debriefs following physical intervention incidents. This is a missed opportunity for children to receive support and reflect on the incident along with the manager being able to review the strategies in place to manage children’s behaviours.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand each child’s individual risks and how to keep them safe. Risk assessments are detailed and show the progress that children make during the time that they live in the home. Over time, children learn to make positive choices, which increases their safety and well-being.

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improvement to be good

Staff ensure that the home environment is safe for children to live in. A range of health and safety checks are completed to assess whether there are any hazards that could pose risks to children. Children take part in regular fire drills to ensure that they know how to safely evacuate the home in case of an emergency.

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improvement to be good

Children are protected by the organisation’s safe recruitment practice. Staff are vetted and assessed as suitable before any appointment is confirmed. These procedures promote the safety of children by preventing unsuitable adults from working with them.

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good

There is a new manager in charge of the home. He is beginning to develop a greater understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. The manager is yet to establish effective monitoring systems but has started to make changes to take the home forward. However, his limited time in post means that he has not yet had the opportunity to fully embed these changes.

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good

Complaints made by children are not addressed in line with the provider’s policies and procedures. Records of complaints do not evidence all the actions taken by the manager or his decision-making. This means that complaints by children are not being managed effectively.

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good

The manager has created a supportive environment. Staff receive regular supervision. This supports the staff with their work in caring for the children and with their own professional development. Staff commented that they find supervision supportive, and it gives them opportunities to discuss care practice and personal development. Inspection report for children’s home: 2570055 5 The manager and staff use team meetings well to discuss what is working well and what needs to improve. With support from the organisation’s clinical psychologist, they discuss and agree different approaches to care, which improves consistency for children.

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good

The manager ensures that staff have the necessary skills and knowledge to care for children effectively. Staff benefit from a wide range of training. This includes training specific to the needs of the children living in the home. This ensures that children are supported by staff who are equipped to meet their needs.

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good

Partnership working between the manager, the placing authority and other professionals is good. The manager and staff maintain constructive relationships with education workers, therapeutic staff and children’s social workers. Inspection report for children’s home: 2570055 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

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.

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to all staff being trained in the organisation’s method of physical intervention. 30 April 2023

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that any complaints are managed effectively and ensuring that staff know the children well and are able to promote their welfare. 30 April 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— 30 April 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2570055 7 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 (2) (3)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that children involved in physical restraints receive a debrief within five days.

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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: 2570055 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Esland North Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Dave Carrigan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2570055 9 inspects 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit

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Inspector

www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Inspector

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Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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