Children's home run by Esland North Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2689933 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 owned by a private provider and offers care for one child who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted on 16 August 2023. This was the home’s first full inspection since registration. The manager has applied to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

There was one child living in the home at the time of the inspection and they spoke to the inspector about their experiences of living in the home.

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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

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2689933 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child says they are happy and like living in the home. The child’s move into the home was well planned. The child told staff that they wished to be greeted by a dinosaur when they arrived at the home and a member of staff dressed as a dinosaur to ensure that this request was met, much to the delight of the child. As a result, the child feels heard by staff and knows they are cared about.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff put the needs of the child first. They ensure that care is provided by the core staff team, without the use of agency or bank staff. This dedication to the needs of the child ensures that there is a consistent approach to the child’s care from staff that are familiar to them. This means that the child has settled quickly into the home and feels well supported.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff ensure that the child attends full time education. Education professionals told the inspector that staff have built strong lines of communication with them. As a result, the child attends education consistently, and is supported to overcome any challenges that they may experience.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to take part in a variety of activities. The child enjoys activities such as roller skating, going on nature walks and watching documentaries about dinosaurs. This helps the child to build confidence as well as benefit from physical activity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is decorated to a high standard and managers and staff have encouraged the child to personalise each room. This supports the child to develop a sense of belonging. However, the routine use of bedroom door alarms when a child moves into the home unnecessarily limits the child’s privacy.

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

Staff effectively safeguard the child. They know how to identify risks and respond appropriately. When a safeguarding incident occurred, staff knew how to respond and acted quickly and effectively. This means that there is a confident and competent staff team caring for the child.

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

The child says they feel safe living at the home and that they can trust staff. The child told the inspector, ‘[name of the staff member] is funny but when I need him to listen, he does.’ The child feels comfortable talking to staff about risks and staff support the child to understand how they can keep themselves safe. This means that the child is developing important skills in keeping themselves safe online and in the wider environment. Inspection report for children’s home: 2689933 3 Managers have ensured that staff have completed training that addresses the vulnerabilities of the child. The use of a commissioned therapist provides support for staff to tailor the approaches they use to reduce the risks for the child. This ensures that staff have the required skills to meet the child’s current and emerging needs.

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

Managers and staff are proactive in working with external professionals to reduce the risks for the child. Staff share strategies to ensure that there is a consistent response from all professionals. This ensures that there is a strong multi-agency approach to keeping the child safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has the best interests of the child at the heart of everything she does. Staff feel confident in her leadership and there is a proactive culture in the home. As a result, the child is living in a home where the managers and staff strive to achieve positive outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have developed strong processes for obtaining feedback in the home. Team meetings and staff supervision sessions take place regularly and are reflective and solution focussed. This ensures that staff practice is continuously improving to meet the needs of the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has clear oversight of the service. The manager regularly reviews incidents and other records kept by staff. This means that she identifies patterns and trends as well as areas of development at the earliest opportunity.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers ensure that all staff complete a comprehensive induction and probationary period. The manager increased her visibility in the home when the child first moved in to ensure that she could observe practice and support more inexperienced staff. As a result, staff feel supported and clear about the expectation of their role. Inspection report for children’s home: 2689933 4

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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

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if—

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child concerned, or other children;

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Requirement Due date

the child’s placing authority consents in writing to the monitoring or surveillance;

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Requirement Due date

so far as reasonably practicable in the light of the child’s age and understanding, the child is informed in advance of the intention to do the monitoring or surveillance; and

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is no more intrusive than necessary, having regard to the child’s need for privacy. (Regulation 24 (1)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that the use of door alarms is thoroughly assessed in respect of each child, and only used as a safeguarding measure. Any use of monitors must also be kept under regular review, with a clear rationale for their use. 26 August 2024

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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: 2689933 5

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Esland North Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Sarah Gilbert, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2689933 6 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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