Children's home run by Esland North Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2688829 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 owned by a private company. The home opened in November 2022. The home provides care for up to two children who have experienced neglect and abuse and, as a result, may display complex behaviours.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered in November 2022 and has a level 5 qualification.

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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: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2688829 2

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Recent inspection history

Not previously inspected. Inspection report for children’s home: 2688829 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This is the home’s first inspection since opening in November 2022. Since opening, three children have moved in to the home and one child has left the home. At the time of the inspection, two children were living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff invest in the children and show a good understanding of children’s individual needs. The staff focus on building effective, stable relationships with the children. These stable relationships have helped to reduce risks to children. One child told the inspector that they used to go missing a lot before coming to the home. They now feel safe and happy with the staff and do not feel the need to go missing anymore.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff provide children with memorable experiences. Children learn new skills, including mountain biking, climbing and treks in the local area. Staff encourage the children to engage in charitable events. Children have raised money for people who are homeless and bought food for those in need as part of the charity work. As a result, children have been able to feel a sense of achievement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are well met. All children have been registered with local health services and are up to date with appointments. In addition, children benefit from regular therapeutic support with the internal clinical team. Since living at the home, one child who previously engaged in substance misuse, has stopped due to the strong relationships with the staff team and therapeutic support they receive. This child is healthier and presents as happier within themselves.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is warm and welcoming. There is ample space for the outdoor activities that the children engage in. The inside of the home is decorated to the tastes of the children, and children are supported to personalise their bedrooms to their own liking. The home is sufficiently furnished, with a large amount of space for children to thrive and socialise. As a result, children feel that they belong, and are able to form positive relationships with the staff team and peers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s transitions out of the home are managed well. Staff ensure that all moves are well planned and take place at the child’s pace. In addition, staff provide ongoing support to children once they leave to help them to settle into their new home. A social worker for a child who recently moved said, ‘The transition was one of the most amazing transitions that I have seen for a child in care.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children with their education and to prepare for their exams. They also support children to obtain accredited modules to develop their independence skills and knowledge in how to keep themselves safe. As a result, children progress in their education and in their preparation for adult life. Inspection report for children’s home: 2688829 4

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

Children feel confident in sharing their concerns, knowing that staff and managers will act on them. For example, one child expressed frustration around something that they were not happy with. Information was shared between staff promptly. As a result, the responsible individual liaised with the directors, and this led to company- wide change. The child was kept informed and were rewarded for sharing their views. This demonstrates that children are listened to and, in the case of this child, they felt pride in being able to make a difference.

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

Staff support children to develop their understanding of how to keep safe. Staff carry out key-work sessions with children on topics such as county lines, substance misuse and exploitation. One child told the inspector, ‘Once I leave, I won’t be getting involved in anything that I used to. I feel I have learnt a lot since being here.’

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

Staff ensure that children who have a history of self-harm are supported effectively. The team understand each child’s individual risks and how to sensitively support them. Children feel safe when speaking to the staff about their feelings. As a result, children have not self-harmed since being at the home.

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

Staff are knowledgeable about how to help children to have safe online experiences. Staff use this knowledge effectively to educate children on safe online use and the risk of grooming.

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

The manager’s risk management strategies around child exploitation are not always clear. For example, one child who came to the home with a risk of exploitation did not have a specific risk assessment in place around this. This does not ensure that staff have clear guidance that they can refer to on how to intervene should they suspect that the child is being exploited.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home benefits from having a passionate and child-focused manager. The manager places a strong emphasis on each child having individualised care, while preventing the one size fits all approach. The management team, including the deputy manager and responsible individual, work closely with the manager to ensure that the staff are well equipped and supported.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children receive care from a consistent staff team who they know well. The manager uses supervision sessions effectively to help the staff to reflect on their practice and develop. This practice helps the manager to identify and act on where improvements can be made to the care that children receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager’s monitoring systems are effective. The manager monitors all aspects of children’s care, including children’s plans, supervision, and health and safety within the home. The manager uses this to identify and act on any shortfalls. This ensures that a good quality of care is consistently delivered to the children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2688829 5 Overall, the staff team has the training and knowledge to meet the children’s needs effectively. They have a good understanding of playfulness, acceptance, curiosity and empathy (PACE) and how to implement this into their practice. The staff also undertake bespoke training for children’s individual needs so that they can work effectively with children. However, there are gaps in training for some staff who have been in post for over six months. This has meant that some staff have not completed all the essential training required to provide the care outlined within the

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

home’s statement of purpose. Inspection report for children’s home: 2688829 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs, and should understand the key role they play in the training and development of staff in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)  The registered person should ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps that the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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Information about this inspection

The inspector has 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: 2688829 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

Chanel Bryant, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2688829 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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