Children's Home run by Esland North Limited in Leicestershire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2483693 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 is a privately owned home. It provides care for up to three children with learning disabilities. One child has moved to the home since the last inspection. At the time of this inspection, three children resided at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in February 2023.

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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 outstanding

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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: 21 February 2023

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2483693 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/02/2023 Full Good 04/10/2021 Full Outstanding 08/10/2019 Full Good 22/01/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2483693 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children run into the home playfully shouting when they return from education. Children seek out staff and peers to talk about how their day has been. When the responsible individual is at the home, children challenge him to matches on their games console. Children and staff cheer one another on and the house roars when the child wins.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have come a long way from their starting points since moving to the home. One child is actively engaged with education. He is now planning for his future. Other children are supported to attend school or experience different types of education to best suit their needs. One child’s tutor praised the staff for how well they know the child and how they are supporting her in building relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have a good understanding of children’s health needs. They support children to attend appointments and they advocate for any required health referrals. Staff know how to have tactful conversations with children regarding sex education and puberty. One child was able to explain his understanding of this during his health assessment with the nurse.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff listen to children’s views and wishes regarding their care. Children help to choose the home decor. Children have pets at the home and are supported to care for them. When not at the home, children go on activities or see their friends and family. One child has been supported to maintain friendships in their home town.

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

Staff use physical intervention as a last resort. Records of such incidents are thoroughly reviewed by the manager and practice learning is quickly recognised. Staff speak to children in a nurturing way to ensure their well-being after an incident. After one challenging day, staff sat with a child having a hot chocolate to maintain their positive relationship. This allowed the child to express to the staff member why they had been upset.

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

Incidents of self-injurious behaviour have reduced throughout the year. Staff show professional curiosity if a child’s clothing or behaviour changes. If concerns arise, staff support the children in a caring manner. Children feel able to tell staff if they have hurt themselves and allow staff to tend to any injuries.

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

Children do not leave the home without staff being aware. There has been one occasion when a child became separated from staff during an activity. Staff acted quickly to work with external agencies, including the police, to find the child. The child was supported and, on their return, staff spoke to them about the importance of not rushing away or going out of sight. Inspection report for children’s home: 2483693 4 Staff have age-appropriate discussions with children about staying safe. Staff support children to understand positive risk-taking and how to make good choices. Staff regularly praise children for making the correct choices. When children make mistakes, they are constructively supported to understand why their behaviour was a concern and, if appropriate, a natural consequence is used to aid their learning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Children and staff have extremely positive relationships with the manager and the responsible individual. The quality of relationships is exceptionally good, regardless of the staff’s roles. The registered manager leads a strong, positive culture, which can be seen through the dedication of the staff team. The manager and staff have high aspirations for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager works very well with external agencies. For one child, this has meant developing ambitions for himself and having realistic but aspirational goals. The strength of staff’s advocacy for children to access tailored and individual education provision is exceptional. The manager and staff listen to children’s views and interests and use these to make links to encourage children’s full engagement. Staff use personalised support for children so that the children are fully included and central to their plans.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff morale is extremely high because of the excellent leadership and management and the sense of team at the home. Staff feel very well supported by the manager and have open discussions with him. The manager responds to staff’s requests for specific training to enable them to provide children with the care that they need. An example of this is the bereavement training being sought for staff so that they can better support children’s emotions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has comprehensive oversight of the home. He understands the staff team’s strengths and weaknesses and drives improvement through team meetings and discussions with staff. When he has made suggestions, improvements can be seen.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has met the requirements set at the last inspection. One recommendation has been restated. Although the manager has reviewed door alarms for children, the reviews could be more frequent and in-depth. Inspection report for children’s home: 2483693 5

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that bedroom door alarms are only used for safeguarding purposes and kept under regular review. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: 2483693 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Esland North Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Ellen Monk, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2483693 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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