Children's Home run by Esland North Limited in Lincolnshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2505378 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 run children’s home. It provides care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties, and those who may have moderate learning disabilities. The manager is registered with Ofsted and suitably experienced.

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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: 6 February 2023

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good Inspection report for children’s home: 2505378 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/02/2023 Full Good 28/09/2021 Full Good 10/02/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness 25/06/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2505378 3

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outstanding

The home is very well presented throughout. It is decorated and furnished to provide children with a comfortable and cosy home. There is plenty of space which has been used creatively to ensure that children have lots of space to relax, play and socialise. There is a well-equipped games room. This has been developed in conjunction with the children and provides an area for children to play games with each other and staff. There are large, well-maintained gardens surrounding the home, providing lots of space for children to engage in outdoor play activities. Children’s bedrooms are spacious, suitably furnished and personalised. One child said their bedroom and the kitchen are amazing. They love their TV and cooking in the kitchen.

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outstanding

Children were observed to move around the home freely and naturally. Interaction between the children and staff was very warm, playful and familiar. Staff used appropriate support to promote positive behaviours. Children said they liked staff and named staff they are able to talk to and seek support when needed.

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outstanding

Staff support children’s emotional well-being. They demonstrate an excellent understanding of children’s individual needs. This is supported by regular internal team around the child meetings which are led by the home’s clinical lead. These forums are used to identify children’s strengths and areas for development. As a result, staff gain a consistent and in-depth understanding of how to support and care for children in a manner that promotes their emotional and psychological well- being.

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outstanding

There are a variety of systems in place to enable children to express their needs, wishes and feelings. These include children contributing to the decisions about their day-to-day routine. Methods include staff talking to the children, informally and more formally, through weekly meetings and individual key-work sessions. Therefore, children are enabled to participate fully in decisions about maintaining and developing relationships with family members and significant people in their lives.

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outstanding

Children know how to, and are supported to, make a complaint. There is an effective system in place to ensure that children are responded to following a complaint in a timely manner and provided with verbal and written responses.

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outstanding

Children are positively engaging with their education and achieving academically. They are either on or above age-related expectations. Managers and staff ensure that, where required, appropriate alternative education is arranged for children. This is achieved through close work with key professionals and the children.

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outstanding

Children are in good health and are supported to access universal health services. Inspection report for children’s home: 2505378 4 The manager and staff have been proactive in their approach regarding the amount of time children spent gaming. Children have been successfully helped to understand how to look after their physical and emotional health and the effects that prolonged gaming can have. This is achieved through a range of child-friendly literature, some in a quiz format which offers an element of fun to children’s learning. This approach has proved successful in encouraging and supporting children to be able to have a balance to their gaming and to play and interact with each other, with friends and staff. As a result, children are provided with a range of games and activities to have fun and develop their social skills.

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outstanding

Children are supported to build and develop their independence skills according to their age and ability. One child is being supported with their plan to buy a kitten. This has involved staff supporting the child to understand and prepare for the responsibility of caring for a pet. Children are encouraged to help prepare basic meals and keep their bedrooms tidy.

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outstanding

Children are supported to maintain their relationships with their families or significant people in their lives. They are welcomed into the home to foster natural links.

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outstanding

Children are being supported to build and develop friendships. One child had a friend come over to play and staff are actively supporting the friendship.

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outstanding

Staff know the children well and have a clear understanding of their individual risks. Risk assessments are thorough and regularly reviewed and updated with the children. Consequently, children have developed a good understanding of risk, and those children who are able to have unsupervised social time away from the home are doing so successfully and safely. Children said they feel safe and are able to talk to staff about any worries they may have. Staff support children through focused key-work sessions, supported with additional child-focused information and literature.

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outstanding

Children do not go missing from the home and there are no concerns regarding anti- social behaviours. The manager and staff work with children’s family members where appropriate to ensure that children are safe when seeing their family.

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outstanding

Links have been made with the local train station as part of the missing from home measures. The home location risk assessment includes the individual children’s understanding of the environment and local community in which they live. This information identifies the areas children use when unsupervised, highlighting vulnerabilities, with particular attention paid to children when they are new to the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2505378 5 Staff are provided with regular and effective training to support them with their responsibility to safeguard children. The manager ensures that staff are provided with updates via their team meetings and one-to-one supervisions.

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outstanding

Staff are very knowledgeable and understand the individual needs of the children. They use their strong relationships with the children to support them when they are unable to manage their emotions. As a result, staff do not use physical intervention to support and keep children safe. They are able to distract children and de-escalate situations successfully.

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outstanding

Staff are very well supported by the company clinical lead, who provides direct support via regular team around the child meetings. This provides a positive forum for staff to discuss and identify the individual needs of children in the context of their emotional, psychological and safeguarding needs. This also provides staff with an opportunity to debrief and identify consistent strategies to support children.

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outstanding

The manager ensures that robust systems are in place so that there is safe recruitment of staff. This includes regular review of staff’s status and suitability to care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has high expectations of the staff and their care and support for the children. She is very ambitious about providing a family home environment for children, and providing a range of opportunities for children to develop, thrive and create positive childhood and memories.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is knowledgeable about children’s history, care plans and planning so that children’s care meets their needs and supports their progression. She works proactively and is central to the partnership work with key professionals. Subsequently, she takes the lead by advocating for children to ensure that their care plans continue to meet their needs. She is confident in challenging where required to ensure that children receive the very best from key professionals and her staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There is effective support provided by the company clinical lead. The manager utilises this service to ensure that staff are further supported in their therapeutic approach when caring, guiding and supporting children. This supports staff to develop their understanding and identifying of children’s emotional and psychological needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has strong relationships with key professionals, parents and significant people to the children. Their feedback is very positive about the leadership of the home, the care, progress and outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There is a stable and confident staff team that is provided with regular and effective one-to-one supervision, team meetings and team around the child meetings. All of these forums provide staff with shared learning, reflection and strategies to support the children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2505378 6 Staff said they have an excellent level of support from the managers and spoke positively about the level of support, training and their continued professional development. The manager invests in her staff, providing a wide range of training and career development opportunities. Staff said they feel valued, listened to and able to contribute to the continual development of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has high aspirations for the children and staff. She is very proactive in her approach for the overall development of the home. She utilises a variety of creative ideas and resources from research in practice and other evidence-led research to provide high-quality care and support for children. As a result, children are thriving and being offered opportunities to progress in all areas of their lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has a number of support systems in place via the company senior managers. She is provided with regular one-to-one supervision and ensures that her own continued professional development is up to date. The manager promotes staff taking responsibility for their learning and offers opportunities for this to be shared with the team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is very proud of the children, staff and the home. She demonstrates dedication and commitment to provide care that promotes children being valued, loved and supported with their current and future lives. Inspection report for children’s home: 2505378 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 for children’s home: 2505378 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

Angela Duffus-Palmer, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2505378 9 regulates and inspects 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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