Children's home run by Esland North Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2679098 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 children’s home is owned by a private company.

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Information about this children’s home

The home’s statement of purpose states that it provides care for one child who experiences emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in October 2022.

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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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2679098 2

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Recent inspection history

Not previously inspected Inspection report for children’s home: 2679098 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This is the home’s first inspection since it was registered in October 2022.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child living in the home has been there for five months. The manager undertook a detailed assessment to understand the needs of the child before their move to the home. This was well planned, and her arrival at the home was celebrated.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is well maintained and in keeping with a family home. The child has helped to personalise her bedroom right from the start with mood boards, pictures and lighting. The child is encouraged regularly by staff to express their wishes and feelings. This is done through daily conversations and weekly meetings. Additionally, the staff actively encourage the child to take part in her reviews and meetings. The manager and staff make good use of various feedback in forums such as ‘you said, we did’. This promotes the child’s sense of belonging and stability. The child stated that she feels listened to and said, ‘I love them all, they are just great.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child rated the home as eight out of 10. She has built some good relationships with staff. Staff show genuine emotional warmth and understanding of the child’s needs. This is helping the child grow in confidence and self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s health needs are met. She is registered with all universal health services and has an up-to-date health assessment. However, the registered person should ensure that they liaise with the looked after children’s nurse in relation to the child’s smoking and vaping to gain additional resources and support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help the child to learn the life skills that they will need to live independently. The child has been practising budgeting, cooking and other general life skills. The child said, ‘I don’t like doing my weekly shop, but I understand staff are trying to help me learn these things for when I am older.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has lived at the home since it opened. The child is accessing education daily after spending several years not attending any form of educational provision. This is significant progress. One professional said, ‘The staff have really promoted the transition of [name of child] into her new school and have supported in all aspects of this.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is well supported by staff in pursuing a range of hobbies and interests. Activities such as attending weekly music sessions, spa days and the cinema give the child good experiences. Recently, the child has joined the local gym. Staff ensure that the child has opportunities to take part in things she enjoys but that also keep her healthy and active. Additionally, staff capture these experiences in photos to help the child understand her journey and life story when she moves on from the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2679098 4

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

The child said she is happy living in the home and feels safe. Staff understand the importance of minimising risks and demonstrate a sound knowledge of safeguarding. Risk assessments are clear and identify all known risks. These plans are regularly updated and provide staff with effective strategies to manage behaviours and risks.

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

Staff understand what they should do when a child goes missing from home and what action they take when encountering a child protection concern. There are clear procedures in place should the child go missing from the home. However, there have been no incidents of this since the child moved in.

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

Recruitment procedures are safe and effective. All staff are checked and vetted before starting work. These checks ensure that only suitable adults are employed to work with children in the home.

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

Staff support the child with good-quality direct work. These individual work sessions focus on important topics such as healthy relationships, smoking and preparation for school. As a result, this is helping the child with her emotional well-being and confidence.

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

The child says she feels safe. Incidents in the home are well managed. Staff put additional safeguards in place, using room searches to ensure that the child’s safety is prioritised. Additionally, staff work creatively with the child to look at different strategies she can use to help at times of distress. Consequently, staff practice is effective, and incidents have reduced.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is suitably experienced and qualified. The management team is passionate and child-centred. The manager has an ambitious vision for the home. When there have been concerns about staff’s suitability to the role, the manager has used the probation policy effectively. The manager continually sets high expectations for the staff to deliver good-quality care for the child living at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from strong leadership and say that the manager is approachable and very supportive. There is a stable staff team in place that knows and understands the child well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision is regular, and staff benefit from the use of reflective practice to help them to develop and learn. Regular team meetings take place. Staff are continually learning and developing their practice. For example, individual staff are champions in the home for different areas, and they deliver seven-minute briefings to the whole team that cover a range of subjects.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff have effective working relationships with a range of professionals. A great emphasis is placed on multi-agency working and partnership Inspection report for children’s home: 2679098 5 links. Staff broaden their expertise by working collaboratively with the internal clinicians to explore how best to meet the needs of the child. Furthermore, there is positive feedback from professionals. One professional said, ‘Communication in the home is excellent; this is a strength of the home.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has effective auditing systems in place. These systems give the management team robust oversight. Areas of improvement are identified through the manager’s internal monitoring, and research-informed practice is delivered to support staff development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are provided with regular training on a variety of topics. They benefit from the advice and guidance from specialist clinicians who attend the home regularly. The induction of new staff is robust and thorough. As a result, staff receive training that is focused on the care and individualised support needs of the child. Inspection report for children’s home: 2679098 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that they liaise with the looked after children’s nurse in relation to the child’s smoking and vaping to gain additional resources. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 34, paragraph 7.11)

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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: 2679098 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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Inspectors

Judith Birchall, Social Care Inspector Sarah Jackson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2679098 8 and 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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

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