Children's home run by Esland North Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2539201 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

This home is privately owned. It is registered to provide care for up to three children or young people with emotional and social needs, or with learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of inspection, two children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a manager who has not yet registered with Ofsted.

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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: 25 September 2023

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2539201 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/09/2023 Full Good 03/05/2022 Full Good 21/01/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness 13/04/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2539201 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All three children who were living in the home at the time of the last inspection have moved on. One child moved on to live in a foster family in a planned way. They keep in touch with staff. The other children left the home when risks heightened for other children around them which could not be managed safely.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress from their starting points. Children experience highly individualised care from staff. One child could not initially settle in their room to sleep. Additional staffing was put in place to support them at night until healthy sleep routines were established. This helps the child manage their emotions and the demands of their day. Children benefit from staff who continually explore how they can improve the quality and consistency of care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff build excellent relationships with children. Staff offer nurture according to the children’s ages, stages and emotional needs. Children are happy living in the home. Children and staff speak very highly of each other; they have fun. Professionals attribute children’s improved communication to the quality of relationships they have with staff. Staff promote children’s sense of belonging by personalising the home. One staff member went to great effort to create a mural of a child’s favourite superhero. Children feel valued and cared for.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s wishes and feelings are at the centre of daily life at the home. For one child, who had not been in care before, the manager encouraged them to co- produce their plans. The child prepared a presentation about their wish to have their family cat live with them. The child benefits greatly from their pet’s presence in the home. The child learns valuable life lessons in independence, budgeting, self- advocacy and age-appropriate responsibility.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are helped to remain healthy. Staff support children to try various forms of exercise and activities. A health professional said staff are receptive to advice and accessing resources. This includes support around vaping and sexual health. Staff work effectively with the home’s clinician. Together, they develop their understanding of children’s experiences, emotions and their behaviour. Children receive appropriate therapeutic support as staff provide detailed information.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Both children have made progress in accessing education. Staff helped one child to restart their education after more than one year out of school. The virtual school worker said that the child has ‘engaged with tutoring with gusto’, and ‘We are really proud of [the child].’ The child can identify their progress and is proud of their achievements. Efforts to increase another child’s educational provision has been slow. Staff support children with educational activities when not in school, such as responding to a child’s interest in Black History Month. Inspection report for children’s home: 2539201 4 Managers acknowledge that the staff team is not ethnically diverse. It does not reflect one child’s ethnicity and cultural heritage. The child’s plan includes professional support to promote the child’s understanding of their family and heritage. However, this has not progressed. Managers have not ensured that staff

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

help the child promote a positive identity. It is not evident how staff support the child daily through conversations, resources and activities in and away from the home.

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

Children’s relationships with staff contribute significantly to their safety. One child said they feel safe living in the home. They named several staff they can talk with about difficult subjects. Staff respond with nurture when concerns about self-harm arise. Staff have planned conversations with children on relevant topics. Children find safer ways of expressing difficult emotions. Staff develop their support for children as they review the effectiveness of these conversations. This helps enhance children’s sense of safety and emotional well-being.

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

Staff face challenges when helping a younger child to express their feelings safely. This child has been physically held at times. Staff receive training to adapt their care taking account of the child’s age, size and stage of development. The home’s therapist supports staff with the emotional impact of supporting the child with incidents. This helps staff resilience and ability to provide consistent care, while keeping the child safe. The child is starting to talk about when they were unsafe in the past. With staff support, they are developing an understanding of their own safety.

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

The home’s manager has taken steps to improve the quality of debriefs and recording through her oversight and guidance. The manager uses her monthly reports to identify patterns and trends. For recent incidents, there has been an improvement in the quality of recording and evaluation of measures staff used. Behaviour support plans are detailed. This helps staff develop their responses and reduce the need for physical intervention.

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

There have been some allegations made against staff. The social worker said that staff communicate promptly in line with the agreed protocol; she then speaks to the child independently. Staff help the child to learn the difference between being held to keep them safe and being held for physical comfort and nurture. Staffing levels are in place to support the child and staff.

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

Staff help children to develop their independence and self-care skills in line with their age and development. Staff are responsive in balancing freedom with the levels of supervision children need. Older children are helped to prepare for adulthood. Staff listen to children and make safe plans for them to spend time with family and important people. Inspection report for children’s home: 2539201 5 Staff use whistle-blowing procedures when concerned about practice issues. Leaders are responsive in completing investigations. This helps keep children safe by ensuring that practice issues are addressed and promoting a transparent working environment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s manager recently started in the home and the deputy manager provided a source of continuity. Some staff say the changes and uncertainty left them feeling insecure. Leaders have now confirmed the plan for the home’s manager to remain. The home’s manager advocated with leaders to manage staff moves to reduce the impact for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager identifies strengths of the home and areas for development. She has produced a home development plan after consulting with the senior staff. Some staff speak positively about the manager’s plans. The manager seeks to model transparency, reflecting on aspects that could be done better. She invites staff to discuss their views and any concerns with the responsible individual. The manager is receptive and responsive to feedback, such as the independent person. This promotes a culture of openness and accountability.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are positive about the organisation and leader’s commitment to children. The manager values the support provided by the responsible individual and her management colleagues in the region. Staff are positive about the training they receive to meet the specific needs of children. Staff expressed appreciation for adjustments offered by the manager to meet their learning needs and opportunities to develop in their roles. Children benefit from a committed, motivated staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision sessions follow a clear and detailed format. The manager identified supervision arrangements and quality as areas for development. Her aim is to improve consistency by allocating named supervisors to staff. The manager has reviewed the rotas to better support staff well-being.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals are positive about the care staff provide children at the home. Professionals from the children’s wider network report effective communication with staff. Professionals see that staff are reflective and seek support from other services to improve the care that the children experience. Staff are proud of their commitment to the children and to be part of a supportive team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s meetings take place weekly. Arrangements take account of children’s differences in age and understanding. The children’s guide is detailed and up to date. However, it has not been adapted to take account of the age and understanding of one child currently living in the home. It has not been adapted to ensure it can be accessed by children whose primary need is their learning disability, in line with the home’s registration. Inspection report for children’s home: 2539201 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the care children receive takes account of their ethnicity and cultural background and promotes a positive identity. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 12, paragraph 3.2)  The registered person should ensure that the children’s guide is provided in an accessible format and explained to each child to make sure they understand it. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph 4.21)

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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: 2539201 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

Helen Gronhaug, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2539201 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 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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