Children's Home run by Esland North Limited in Nottinghamshire

Inspection report children's home: 1229229 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 privately owned. It is registered to provide care for two children who may have emotional, behavioural and social difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

There is an experienced manager who registered with Ofsted in 2020.

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Information about this children's home

There were two children living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children's home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children's home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 28 February 2023

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: Good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: Not applicable Inspection report children's home: 1229229 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/02/2023 Full Good 29/09/2021 Full Good 10/09/2019 Full Good 16/10/2018 Full Outstanding Inspection report children's home: 1229229 3

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outstanding

Children are making excellent progress due to the dedication and commitment of the manager and staff. The children are going from strength to strength in all areas of their lives. Children have established relationships with staff sharing many happy times. When they are sad children work through their difficulties knowing they have adults they can rely on. This is helping children to make sense of their lives and develop good levels of resilience. Children can now deal with situations which previously overwhelmed them. The manager and staff cope well with all eventualities. There has been some outstanding work with children in particularly distressing circumstances. One child experienced a significant family bereavement. He received highly individualised; child led support at all stages during a very upsetting time. The manager took the lead in making all necessary arrangements which helped the child to cope with the

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outstanding

uncertainty. He has been able to confide in staff about his feelings and received consistent empathy and understanding. The team have enabled the child to come to terms with his loss. Children are involved in their care planning and decision making about their lives which means they feel listened to and valued. Children love the family feel of the home and enjoy everyone being there. One child told me the home is ‘amazing’ and he is ‘happy with everything’. The manager and staff accept children for who they are. Children feel safe to try out different identities and interests as they grow and develop. Children are regularly involved in activities, and they have become part of the local community. One child takes immense pride in this, and he has grown in confidence as a result. Staff ensure that children do well at school. They are meeting their potential with a great deal of support from the home. Their attendance is excellent. The home and

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outstanding

school work together very well to ensure that strategies implemented to support children are joined up and effective. Children are studying towards GCSEs and one child has secured a place at college. Children are rewarded and praised for their achievements. The manager and staff have built strong relationships with children’s families. There has been some exceptional work to reconnect children to family members which has been incredibly rewarding for children. Some of these relationships are enduring and some are newly forming. This has been invaluable for children's self-worth and sense of belonging. Children's physical and emotional well-being is very well supported. Children are in good health and take care of their personal hygiene. They have access to specialist services when needed. Children have ongoing therapeutic relationships with Inspection report children's home: 1229229 4 professionals. This has helped them enormously in terms of expressing their thoughts

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outstanding

The manager and staff have an intricate understanding of the risks posed to and from children. There are some excellent examples of working with other agencies to reduce and manage risks. This work is carried out with the greatest sensitivity, and it has been highly effective in enabling children to take part in everyday life in safe ways. Children are involved in their risk management plans, which are regularly reviewed. As such they are fully aware of any concerns and know how adults are helping them to stay safe. The manager demonstrates forward thinking in terms of anticipating risk. She plans well for situations which have potential to place children at increased risk of harm and uses research to help her make proportionate decisions about children’s safety. The whole team shows a high level of professional curiosity in relation to children’s behaviour which is helping to keep all children safe. The manager and staff have the

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outstanding

courage to deal with known and emerging risks and vulnerabilities in the most challenging of circumstances. Their ongoing work is commendable. Children receive extensive support to come to terms with difficult feelings. Both children have been able to articulate very sensitive information in a safe space. Children have become more reflective about their behaviours which has led to a significant reduction in incidents at the home. As a result, the use of physical interventions to keep children safe is extremely rare. Children are encouraged to repair relationships with each other and staff when conflict arises. As such, it is short lived, and people can move forward and resolve situations well. The manager and staff ensure children are well protected online. Their activity is monitored, and children are kept safe from exploitation. Children accept the boundaries around use of devices. On occasions where children find this difficult staff

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outstanding

help children to understand why there are boundaries in place as any good parent would. The manager understands her safeguarding responsibilities well. She shares details of any significant incidents involving children with the relevant authorities. There have been no allegations about staff at the home. One child has raised a concern about an external professional which is currently being investigated. The child is aware that his concern has been taken seriously and that he is being kept safe. The manager keeps children updated on the progress of any concerns they have raised. Children have their own bank accounts and are supported to spend their money responsibly. Records of expenditure are not yet recorded accurately. This is an area for development. Following inspection, the manager understands the importance of increased diligence in this area. Inspection report children's home: 1229229 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There is an experienced manager who is full of enthusiasm and energy. She has high aspirations for children and a heartfelt desire to see them do as well as they can. The manager has instilled this ethos into her team which is the foundation for the care provided. The manager knows that to care for children well her team need to be happy, so she invests in their wellbeing and development. She has the capacity to care for both children and staff to a high standard. The team speak very highly of her and say she is ‘amazing’. The children say the same. The manager is closely involved in children's lives and her work is exceptional in terms of ensuring their needs are met and their wishes and feelings are listened to. She has enabled children to speak about some of the most difficult issues in their lives and guided them through this with confidence. Her approach helps children to feel assured that adults can always cope with their worries. As such they have stability and security.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Professionals have full confidence in the manager and her team. She works with a range of agencies to ensure children's plans move forward and momentum is maintained. There is clear direction in children's plans and therefore very little drift. The manager mobilises other professionals into action as her motivation is compelling. Children benefit from this as their care plans are extremely well co-ordinated. The staff team is very stable. Staff enjoy their work and talk about the second family they have created for the children. Staff benefit from good quality regular supervision and training which helps them to develop and reflect on their practice. They are keen to learn and develop. Staff say they find training very helpful and can identify how they are using it in practice. The training received has helped to create consistency of care for children. The manager has learned to trust in her staff more over the last twelve months. When

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

she is away from the home the children’s care remains consistent which is testament to her strong leadership. There is a culture of healthy challenge within the team. The manager uses feedback from external agencies to keep improving practice and there is evidence of practice being increasingly influenced by academic research. This is improving children’s quality of life. Inspection report children's home: 1229229 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that all staff consistently follow the home's policies and procedures for the benefit of the children in the home's care. Everyone working at the home must understand their roles and responsibilities and what they are authorised to decide on their own initiative. There should be clear lines of accountability. This specifically relates to ensuring that there is monitoring and recording of the expenditure of children's savings particularly when children are in receipt of benefits ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,' page 54, paragraph 10.20). Inspection report children's home: 1229229 7

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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 children's home: 1229229 8

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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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Inspector

Laura Walker, social care inspector Inspection report children's home: 1229229 9 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted Inspection report children's home: 1229229 10

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