Children's home run by Esland North Limited

Inspection report children's home: 2649739 1 Registered provider: Esland North Limited

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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. It offers care for one child who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

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

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Information about this children's home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 4 July 2024.

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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: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: 2649739 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/08/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 22/03/2023 Full Inadequate Inspection report children's home: 2649739 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff ensured that children move into and out of the home in a well- planned way. One child has moved out of the home since the last inspection and another child has moved in. External professionals spoke positively of the actions taken by staff to welcome the child into the home. As a result, the child has settled happily and is developing positive relationships with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage the child to understand their identity through exploring their unique interests. Staff support the child to take part in activities that motivate them and develop their independence skills. This means that the child is developing important social skills as well as having fun experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is not in full time education. Managers are persistent in ensuring that this is prioritised by external professionals. Staff are completing daily educational sessions with the child until an educational placement has been identified. This ensures that the child is receiving crucial educational skills despite not being in a formal educational setting.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is well decorated, and the registered manager is diligent in ensuring that any maintenance issues are addressed quickly. The child is encouraged to personalise the home with their photos and personal items. However, the use of a bedroom door alarm has been in place since the child moved in and it’s use has not been kept under regular review. This unnecessarily limits the child’s privacy.

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

Staff keep the child safe. They recognise signs of risk at the earliest opportunity and use strategies to prevent incidents from happening or to reduce their severity. As a result, risks for the child are minimal.

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

Incidents of the child going missing from the home are rare. When the child does go missing, staff respond quickly and follow their missing from home procedure. They communicate clearly with the relevant professionals and are persistent in making sure the child returns home safely.

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

The child’s emotional needs are well understood by staff. Staff speak with the child to explore how they can help them when they are upset. They recognise the signs that the child may be becoming distressed and provide support effectively. This ensures that the child’s emotional wellbeing is prioritised.

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

Managers ensure that staff complete training that is specific to the needs of the child. They use the expertise of a commissioned psychologist to develop staff practice. This ensures that staff have the skills to meet the unique vulnerabilities of the child. Inspection report children's home: 2649739 4 Staff hold important conversations with the child to enable them to keep themselves safe. However, key conversations to support the child’s awareness of staying safe when using a mobile phone do not follow a clear plan. As a result, the child and staff do not understand the steps that need to be taken to help the child to use a mobile phone safely.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is highly organised and ensures that the needs of the child are at the centre of staff practice. Staff feel supported by her and enjoy working at the home. Consequently, staff are clear about their roles and high expectations of the care provided.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers ensure that regular supervision sessions and appraisals take place with staff. This provides staff with a space to reflect and improve their practice. Team meetings are well structured and review the progress of the child with a solution focussed approach. This ensures that staff practice is continuously developing to meet the needs of the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have strong communication links with external professionals. They share information and advocate for the child effectively. They attend review meetings to ensure that there is effective care planning for the child. This means that the progress of the child remains the focus for all the professionals involved in their life.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has implemented robust monitoring systems in the home. This enables her to identify areas of development at the earliest opportunity. She has a clear plan of development for the team which ensures that the child receives a high standard of care and that the service is continuously improving. Inspection report children's home: 2649739 5

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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, 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

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

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)(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. 28 August 2024

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that managers and staff take reasonable precautions and make informed professional judgements based on the individual child's needs and developmental stage about when to allow a child to take a particular risk. If a child makes a choice that would place them at significant risk of harm, staff should assist them to understand the risks and manage their risk taking behaviour to keep themselves safe. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations including the quality standards', page 42, paragraph 9.7. Inspection report children's home: 2649739 6

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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: 2649739 7

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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 children's home: 2649739 8 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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