Children's Home run by Esland North Limited in Kirklees

Inspection report for children’s home: 2735196 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

A private organisation owns and operates this home. The home provides care for one child who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has left. They have yet to cancel their registration with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

The acting manager has been in post since September 2023. They have yet to submit their application to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

One child was living in 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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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2735196 2

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improvement to be good

There are fundamental shortfalls in the child’s care that are hampering the child’s ability to make good enough progress. There is insufficient oversight and drive to seek solutions to tackle important issues for the child. This is despite the child having good relationships with their staff.

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improvement to be good

A therapist plays a pivotal role in the child’s care. However, the staff do not consistently apply the therapist’s guidance. Consequently, elements of the child’s support have become stagnant or redundant.

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improvement to be good

The child is supported to read their care plan, which the staff write. However, a culmination of monotonous information and unrelatable language undermines these efforts. Some of the phrases used in the child’s written care plan have entered into the staff’s vocabulary. Consequently, the child does not fully understand what the staff are doing to support them.

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improvement to be good

There have been various challenges that have stifled the child’s ability to access suitable education. Although the child has been home-tutored, the quality of this tutoring has fluctuated significantly. The manager has not advocated for the child effectively to address this, despite the child sharing their wishes about this.

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improvement to be good

The staff encourage the child to access an array of activities. Fun moments shared between the staff and the child are captured in photos. Additionally, the staff are creative in using technology to highlight the child’s achievements and experiences. This gives the child a sense of fulfilment and preserves positive experiences for the child to look back on.

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improvement to be good

Although the use of physical intervention is infrequent, two of the three incidents of physical intervention that have occurred have been excessive. While the child’s written records show that the staff seek assurances on the child’s physical well-being after an intervention, the child’s emotional welfare is overlooked. In addition, the manager’s review and record of their oversight of these incidents do not provide sufficient assurance that poor practice is addressed effectively.

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improvement to be good

The quality of the child’s written records fluctuates. Some records show a lack of awareness about the child’s needs and circumstances. Consequently, the staff do not consistently apply the organisation’s model of care. Inspection report for children’s home: 2735196 3 The manager does not have a clear strategy to manage allegations that are made against the staff. These are approached in a chaotic and uncoordinated manner. This has increased the staff’s anxiety, and hindered their confidence in managing these incidents better.

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improvement to be good

The staff ensure that the child has good access to their healthcare appointments. Additionally, the staff are confident in teaching the child about their developing body. However, this is not consistent as the manager has not heeded specific expert health advice to help the child in a specific area of their care.

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improvement to be good

Agency care staff are used as a last resort. The manager verifies the personal details of these workers with the agency. The manager also ensures that agency staff complete an induction before they begin their role. These steps ensure that the agency staff are suitable, and understand their role.

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good

The registered manager has left the home and there has been no registered manager in post for a significant period. Despite this, the organisation has not fulfilled its obligation to seek registration for the acting manager. This has diminished the organisation’s sense of accountability over the day-to-day operation of the home.

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good

The manager has not received good-quality support from leaders. The manager’s inexperience has limited their ability to support the child and to escalate shortfalls to the child’s local authority. Consequently, the manager has overlooked the potential to accelerate progress in several aspects of the child’s life.

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good

Leaders have failed to recognise their obligation to formally record a child’s stay in the home. Therefore, there are no records for one child who has lived in this home on a temporary basis. Consequently, the inspector could not evaluate this child’s care.

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good

The home’s statement of purpose is not fully understood or applied by the manager or the staff. There is no training or knowledge to implement the specified model of practice that is promoted in the home’s statement of purpose. This misleads local authorities and diminishes the credibility of the organisation.

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good

The staff value the broad package of training. The varied training is delivered face- to-face and online. However, the effectiveness of this training is questionable as some staff complete multiple online courses in one day, and the manager does not check whether the staff retain and apply this training.

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good

Team meetings are regular and well attended. The minutes show that a range of issues are discussed. There is meaningful dialogue and a willingness to learn and improve. Inspection report for children’s home: 2735196 4

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff— seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans; if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (a)(c)) 15 March 2024

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children— receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that arrangements are in place to— manage and review the placement of each child in the home; that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(b)(ii)(c)) 15 March 2024

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child is only permitted for the purpose of preventing— injury to any person (including the child); serious damage to the property of any person (including the child). Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate. (Regulation 20 (1)(a)(b) (2)) 15 March 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2735196 5 The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if— the registered provider— is an organisation or a partnership; is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home. (Regulation 27 (1)(b)(i)(iii)) 15 March 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must— maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4; ensure that the records are kept up to date; and retain the records for at least 15 years from the date of the last entry. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c)) 15 March 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should lead and manage the home in a way that delivers the ethos, outcomes and approach set out in the home’s statement of purpose. In particular, ensure that the staff apply their awareness of contextualised safeguarding, as noted in the home’s statement of purpose. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.4)  The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs, and should understand the key role they play in the training and development of staff in the home. In particular, this is with regard to how online training is managed and reviewed. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)

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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: 2735196 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

Steve Guirey, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2735196 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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