Children's Home run by Esland South Limited in Kent

Inspection report for children's home: SC059037 1 SC059037 Registered provider: Esland South Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned and provides care for up to four children who experience social and emotional difficulties. There were three children living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

A new manager has been in post since November 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 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: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC059037 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/03/2023 Full Outstanding 02/02/2022 Full Good 30/07/2019 Full Good 16/01/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC059037 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children living at this home have developed positive attachments with staff. They feel happy and safe. Staff invest time in getting to know the children and celebrate their talents. One child said that the staff are ‘patient’ and ‘encourage our interests’. As a result, the children feel confident in exploring their interests and take pride in their achievements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are active members of the local community and attend a range of local clubs. Staff encourage the children to explore different activities and pursue their hobbies. This provides a breadth of opportunities for children to try new experiences, make friends and learn new skills. One child attends a drama club and recently took part in a drama production. The child thoroughly enjoyed this and was rightly proud of their achievement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are encouraged to develop positive relationships with each other. They spend time together and enjoy group activities, including going on a holiday last year. Staff sensitively respond to disagreements between the children. They help them to learn how to rebuild fractured relationships. Consequently, children enjoy experiences that are reflective of a family home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have high aspirations for the children. All the children attend local mainstream schools and are making good progress. The staff prioritise the children’s education. Arrangements are made to ensure the children have a school place as soon as they move in. This helps children remain engaged and minimises any gaps in learning. One child was provided with online learning and home tutoring until a suitable school place was secured. The staff work in close partnership with the children’s schools to ensure the children receive the educational support they need. One child’s school said that the good communication staff maintain with school is a strength of this home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff regularly consult with the children to understand their views, wishes and feelings. The children are encouraged to actively share their thoughts and opinions in the regular house meetings as well through general day-to-day conversations. The house meetings are child-led and cover topics that the children raise, such as terminology and phrases that the children would prefer the staff to use, for example, ‘seeing my mum’ rather than ‘contact’. This responsiveness to things that matter to the children means they feel valued and listened to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children have moved into the home since the last inspection. Their needs were carefully considered to ensure the staff could meet them and to ensure minimal disruption to the children already living at the home. The staff helped one child have a successful well-planned move to supported living. The staff helped the child to develop appropriate independence skills to prepare them for the move, which helped Inspection report for children's home: SC059037 4 reduce any anxiety and supported a positive move. This child continues to visit and keep in touch with the home.

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

Staff take responsive and appropriate action to safeguard children. They understand how to respond to any safeguarding concerns. The manager shares information with families and partner professionals as appropriate, to ensure a joined-up approach to keeping children safe.

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

Staff recognise the individual risks and vulnerabilities of children living at the home. They help the children to understand and manage these risks. The children trust the staff. They listen to their advice and guidance in conversations, both planned and unplanned, they have about keeping safe. The help and support of staff has meant incidents of self-harming behaviours for one child have greatly reduced. Consequently, some risk control measures have been reduced and the child has been able to enjoy more personal freedom and build their confidence.

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

Through a therapeutic approach, staff support children to better understand how to manage difficult emotions. They explore underlying causes of undesired behaviours with the children, and help them develop the skills to self-regulate their behaviour. Individual behaviour support plans are regularly reviewed and updated to ensure that staff have the most current guidance on how to manage difficult situations.

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

The staff use their knowledge of the children, and the training they have received, to de-escalate tricky situations well. Incidents requiring physical intervention by staff are few. When physical intervention is used, this is proportionate and staff use the lowest level of intervention appropriate. Children’s views are sought following any incidents and staff and children reflect together to see how such incidents can be avoided in the future. Staff provide ongoing support to the children to ensure their emotional and physical well-being.

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

Children’s support and risk management plans are detailed and generally guide the staff in how to best ensure the children’s safety and well-being. However, staff did not have a shared understanding of an allergy one child is believed to have. Information in the child’s risk assessment regarding the allergy was confusing and staff did not consistently follow the actions outlined. A lack of clear guidance to staff increases the risk of the child having an allergic reaction.

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

The home is well maintained. However, fire extinguishers were stored in a cupboard under the stairs behind other items. The electrical fuse box was in this cupboard and a flammable substance was stored there. This presented a potential fire hazard that staff had overlooked. The manager took immediate action to rectify the hazard during the inspection. Inspection report for children's home: SC059037 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The previous manager has recently taken on the role of responsible individual. They maintain good oversight and work closely with the new manager. This has ensured that the children and staff have experienced consistent leadership despite the changes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The children are supported by a small and dedicated staff team. Staff turnover is low and agency staff are rarely used. The children benefit from a team of staff who know them well. New staff undergo a thorough recruitment and induction process. Agency staff are subject to the same scrutiny checks as permanent staff. This ensures that only suitable individuals work directly with the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported by the manager. They are provided with regular good-quality reflective supervision. Monthly team meetings provide further opportunity for staff to reflect on their practice. This fosters a consistent approach. The manager ensures that any actions identified at team meetings are implemented, driving ongoing development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff complete suitable training to support them in their roles. The manager carefully considers staff training needs before a new child moves into the home. They quickly organise any additional training required. This enables staff to provide child-focused individualised care that meets the children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager maintains highly effective relationships with external professionals and family members, who hold the manager and staff in high esteem. One professional said, ‘Nothing is too much trouble for the home.’ One family member described the staff as ‘friendly’ and the home as ‘lovely’. Inspection report for children's home: SC059037 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, The Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the 'Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards'. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

take adequate precautions against the risk of fire. (Regulation 25 (1)(a)) 22 January 2024

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that each child’s day-to-day health needs are met. Staff should have a clear understanding of children’s allergies and how to manage these. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 33, paragraph 7.3)

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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: SC059037 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Esland South Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspectors

Chris Warren, Social Care Inspector Joanna Heller, Regional Inspection Manager Inspection report for children's home: SC059037 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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