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

Inspection report for children's home: SC478991 1 SC478991 Registered provider: Esland North Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is registered to provide care for up to four children with a learning disability and associated complex needs.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since April 2023.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 21 September 2022

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection for report children's home: SC478991 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/09/2022 Full Good 17/03/2022 Interim Declined in effectiveness 07/12/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 10/02/2020 Full Good Inspection for report children's home: SC478991 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child lived in the home at the time of the inspection. They receive good-quality care from a dedicated core staff team. This is underpinned by the home’s quality and ethos of care. The consistent and therapeutic care offered by staff contributes to the progress the child is making.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is warm and nurturing. Areas of the home have been well adapted to meet the child’s needs. Photos of the child enjoying time with family members enhance the living space. Wallpaper and murals chosen by the child bring to life the child’s personality in other areas of the home. This level of personalisation supports the child to feel safe and settled.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s health needs are well understood by staff. The child is supported to access specialist health professionals. The staff team is also guided by a psychologist to inform their practice. This ensures that the child’s physical and emotional well-being is monitored and improved.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff value and promote the child’s education. They work closely with educational providers. This has resulted in the child’s school attendance gradually increasing to full time. The manager is ambitious for the child’s future life chances. They are seeking alternative exams that are more suited to the child’s younger learning age.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A range of communication methods are used effectively by staff. This helps the child share their views and learn basic independence skills. Meetings and direct work with the child are in pictorial form, so the child can participate. Staff adapt their approach so that the child can develop skills such as cooking, cleaning and self-care. This supports the child to feel valued and to be more prepared for the transition into adulthood.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has been more confident in identifying and taking part in a variety of activities. They fulfil their passion for sport by going to live football matches at their local club. The child is learning to play golf and has achieved a certificate for swimming. They have enjoyed going on several holidays with staff. These special memories are captured with photos and collated in bright, colourful journals. The child can proudly take these journals with them when they move on.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to maintain relationships with important people in their lives. The child enjoys spending time with a family member regularly. They have also attended a family wedding. A family member told the inspector that staff keep them updated and make sure the child is safe. Inspection for report children's home: SC478991 4

p.3

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

The quality of the risk management plans is good. These plans are detailed and contain relevant information and guidance for staff. This helps staff to respond to and manage the child’s behaviours effectively. These plans are reviewed and updated following incidents, so staff are clear about how to continue to keep the child safe and well.

p.4

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

When incidents do occur, staff skilfully avoid the use of physical intervention in most situations. When physical intervention is used to keep the child and others safe, staff records are detailed and timely. The manager reviews them so that learning can be shared with staff to improve their practice. The child is encouraged to reflect on their behaviours to avoid such situations in the future. This good practice, combined with consistent routines and boundaries for the child, has led to a significant reduction in physical interventions and no missing-from-home episodes.

p.4

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

Staff encourage the child to take part in therapeutic work with professionals. The child can share their views and is supported to make sense of their lived experiences and trauma. As a result, the child can self-regulate and show empathy more often. These skills will enable the child to build and maintain healthy relationships into adulthood.

p.4

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

Procedures around the storage and administration of medication are robust. The manager completes weekly and monthly medication audits. They also have systems in place to make sure safe practice continues to be followed by staff.

p.4

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

The child has independent support from professionals, including an advocate, to share any views and concerns they have. The child attends their reviews and meetings. When there are allegations, the manager works with the wider professional network. The manager deals with allegations in an appropriate and timely manner.

p.4

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

Managers implement safer recruitment processes. This helps to ensure that only suitable adults work in the home.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a dedicated and skilled registered manager, who is supported by a deputy manager. Their monitoring and reviewing systems have improved since the last inspection. These systems are thorough and consistent in all areas of practice. This means managers can track and make continuous improvements to the child’s care.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is a strong advocate for the child and knows the child’s strengths, needs and risks well. They challenge professionals when they do not believe the child is getting the service they deserve. The manager has requested an updated assessment for the child from health professionals. This is to seek a second opinion about the child’s level of additional needs. The manager recognises how important it is for the child to receive the right level of support, especially as the child transitions to adult support services in the future. Inspection for report children's home: SC478991 5 The home has a stable staff team. This provides continuity of care for the child and has helped them to build secure relationships with staff. The manager has recognised that the child is benefiting from the level of care they receive and has not accepted other children into the home for a time. This child-centred decision-making has led to

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

the child making good progress in all aspects of their life. The manager recognises the possible impact of another child moving into the home. They have a clear plan in place in readiness for this.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have frequent and good-quality supervision in line with the organisation’s policy. They have also had annual appraisal meetings to formally review their progress. This means that staff feel supported by the manager to develop their practice.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular training. This includes specialist courses based on the child’s individual needs. New staff benefit from a thorough induction process. The manager ensures that there are regular team meetings. Staff have the opportunity to reflect, learn and plan together. This helps to maintain a motivated staff team and good team morale. Staff speak highly of the manager and the support they offer. Staff feel valued and are proud to be part of the team.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager works well in partnership with other agencies. Relevant information is shared in a timely manner. Collaborative working means that the child benefits from professionals who strive to achieve positive outcomes for them.

p.5

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 for report children's home: SC478991 6

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Esland North Limited

p.6

Children’s home details

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

p.6

Inspector

Nurul Kabir, Social Care Inspector Inspection for report children's home: SC478991 7 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.

p.6

Inspector

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 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 .

p.7

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

Inspector

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

p.7