Children's home run by Esland North Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2634624 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

The home is registered to provide care for one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home closed between February and October 2021. This is the first full inspection since the home reopened.

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Information about this children’s home

Monitoring visits were carried out on 1 August 2022 and 28 October 2022. The reports are published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about this children’s home

There is an experienced manager who is registered with Ofsted.

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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: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2634624 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/08/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2634624 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is one child living at the home. He has been living there since the home reopened in October 2022.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is well furnished and comfortable. The child has settled in well. The manager works hard to keep the home in good condition and any damage is quickly repaired. The child has chosen the decor in his bedroom and shows pride in looking after his things. The manager and staff have very good insight into the child’s needs, which has enabled them to create a highly individualised care plan. This has helped the child to feel understood at a very vulnerable time in his life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has built excellent relationships with the staff. They are consistent in their care and provide firm boundaries for him. There have been some challenges of late and they have tested the resilience of the team. However, staff are very good at ‘reattuning’ with the child following difficult times. Staff carry out meaningful direct work with the child to help him to understand his feelings and communicate in healthier ways. This is beginning to have a positive impact on the child’s behaviour.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff have provided the child with an exciting range of activities and outdoor adventures. Many of these are first-time experiences for him. He is also learning some independence skills, such as cooking and shopping. This is helping the child to develop confidence in situations where he previously felt anxious. The child speaks about his experiences with enthusiasm and enjoys these new life opportunities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is struggling with education. He has not attended school for a long length of time. The manager is trying different approaches and progress is being made, albeit very small steps. A real strength is the commitment of the staff to provide informal learning experiences, which the child enjoys. Therefore, the child can feel a sense of achievement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff have helped the child to overcome his anxieties about health professionals. He has attended some important appointments. The manager has persisted in requesting a review of a specific health need, which the child has agreed to attend. This is very good progress and demonstrates the trust between the child and the manager.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is well supported to keep in contact with his family and friends. He speaks to them regularly. The manager and staff built positive relationships with the child’s close family from the start. Time with family is reviewed regularly to ensure that it is always a positive experience. The manager and staff do this because they know what it means to the child in terms of his identity. Inspection report for children’s home: 2634624 4

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

Overall, the manager and staff have a good understanding of the risks posed to the child. The manager worked hard to gather information at the point of referral to ensure that the staff were able to keep the child safe. However, there are different accounts of the child’s experiences held within the professional network. This has hampered the development of a shared understanding of the previous risks to the child. Following inspection, leaders and managers understand the importance of all agencies developing a coherent narrative. This is enhancing safety planning for the child. It will be important for the child to be part of safety planning to help him understand how to keep safe as he grows up.

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

The manager and staff use their experience and relationship with the child to manage times when he becomes distressed. The staff prevent incidents from escalating and protect the child from coming to harm. Staff demonstrate considerable empathy and patience during and after incidents. This helps the child to repair his relationships quickly and reduces the impact of shame.

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

The manager has created numerous risk assessments. These are kept up to date and contain clear guidance about managing risks and vulnerabilities. There is currently limited content about monitoring online safety; however, staff are doing this in practice. The manager recognises that these strategies need to be recorded so that any concerns can be monitored and reviewed.

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

The child does not go missing from home. The manager and staff always know where he is. This is excellent progress as this was previously a significant risk for the child. There is clear guidance in place for staff to follow should this situation arise. Good levels of supervision and support are keeping the child safe from risks of exploitation and criminal behaviour.

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

Leaders and managers know their safeguarding responsibilities well and are transparent with the relevant agencies when they have concerns about children. Staff are recruited through robust safer recruitment processes. This prevents unsuitable adults from caring for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager demonstrates great passion and commitment to the home. She spent considerable time preparing the home to reopen and she is very proud of her team. The manager had close oversight of the child’s transition into the home. He was well supported, which ensured that this difficult move was handled as sensitively as possible. The manager has continued to develop a strong relationship with the child and has not given up on him during difficult times. The child knows how much she cares about him and his future.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has recruited an experienced team of staff who bring high levels of motivation, resilience and empathy. They have different skills and strengths which work well together. The manager is very supportive of the staff. She has a flexible Inspection report for children’s home: 2634624 5 and compassionate approach which helps to retain the experience in the team. The manager is very involved in the day-to-day running of the home. This is very much valued by staff and the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff enjoy a good range of training, which is regularly refreshed and updated. They speak positively about the quality of the training they receive. The manager identifies new training opportunities to help them meet the child’s ongoing needs. Staff benefit from regular supervision where they can reflect on their practice and consider their professional development. This helps them to stay focused on children’s needs and maintain their levels of resilience.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals have confidence in the home. They are impressed by the progress the child has made. They attribute this to the consistency of the care provided and the way his move was managed. The manager attends all professionals’ meetings, and she has been able to influence some important areas of the care planning. There have been occasions when the manager has had reservations about decisions made about the child. She recognises the importance of always asserting her views to ensure that care planning is always in the best interests of the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager creates regular opportunities for the child to share his wishes and feelings. She ensures that his views are represented in his planning meetings and encourages him to attend. This is empowering for the child and helps him to take an active part in the planning for his future. Inspection report for children’s home: 2634624 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that where the placing authority or another relevant person does not provide the input and services needed to meet a child’s needs during their time in the home or in preparation for leaving the home, the home challenges them to meet the child’s needs (see regulations 5(c)). Staff should act as champions for the children, expecting nothing less than a good parent would. The registered person should consider the use of an independent advocate (see paragraph 4.16) if the child’s needs are not being met. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 12, paragraph 2.8)  The registered person should ensure that staff understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information about individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be

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Recommendations

recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that staff have guidance so that they can 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 the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 41, paragraph 9.5)

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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: 2634624 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 Limited, Suites 1 and 5, Riverside Business Centre, Foundry Lane, Milford, Belper DE56 0RN

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Richard Matthews

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Inspectors

Laura Walker, Social Care Inspector Helen Gronhaug, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2634624 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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