Children's home run by Esland North Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 1253008 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 children’s home is run by a private provider. It is registered with Ofsted to provide care and accommodation for up to two children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, there were two children living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in June 2017 and has a registered manager.

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1253008 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/08/2023 Full Good 17/10/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 13/01/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness 26/07/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 1253008 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Both children who live at the home were spoken to during the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children’s voice informs their daily routines, care plans and activities. The manager maintains communication with professionals and family members and has sought advocacy for a child in the home who expressed they would like one.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to engage in activities that are meaningful to them and keep them active. Within short time frames, children have attended activities that are new to them such as swimming and boxing with the support of staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children have access to all healthcare professionals and have received support for their health needs such as dentistry. Children are also engaging with the specialist clinician within the service, and therapeutic practice is embedded throughout staff practice and supporting documentation.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Transition planning takes place, and the service responds quickly to changing needs. When transitions occur, the child’s best interests and safety are considered, as well as how best the transition can be conducted to make it more comfortable for the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote and maintain family time arrangements and other relationships important to children. The home ensures that ongoing communication takes place with families, and the home supports peer relationships for children.

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

Children told the inspectors they feel safe at the home. Children are beginning to identify adults that they have bonds with and have felt able to have conversations with of a sensitive nature. This has enabled staff to take action to keep children safe.

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

Staff escalate concerns appropriately to safeguard children and involve all relevant agencies. Staff are aware of safeguarding risks that children are potentially susceptible to and manage these sensitively.

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

Risks to children are assessed depending on their individual needs, including the use of door alarms, and plans of care based on these are kept up to date. Records are fluid and kept contemporaneously. The local area has been assessed for risks and considers children newly admitted to the home and the risks that they may face.

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

Staff follow the agreed protocol when children go missing from care. There are preventative measures in place to enable children to regulate their emotions, such as taking a walk alone as long as staff are informed and calls are answered, to try and allow children to have an element of independence. Inspection report for children’s home: 1253008 4 Staff reinforce positive behaviour with children, choosing what they perceive as rewards. When incidents occur, constructive conversations with children take place that address negative behaviours, to minimise the likelihood of their reoccurrence rather than negative consequences being imposed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is knowledgeable about the needs of the home and is supported by a deputy manager who is pivotal in keeping children at the heart of care delivery. Both demonstrate an understanding of children’s physical and emotional needs. Children expressed that they feel they can approach both managers if they have concerns or queries.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager maintains oversight of governance processes that monitor and promote children’s and staff's progress. Staff also complete delegated audits, which encourages staff development and maintains quality assurance. Staff show autonomy in completing tasks and take ownership over their responsibilities, including paperwork, which is kept up to date.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has appropriate staffing arrangements and staff are suitably recruited using safer recruitment processes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are encouraged to develop and grow within the company. A mix of skills is considered across homes to enable staff to have development opportunities, but also to best support the needs of each home depending on the children living there. Staff supervision and appraisal are robust and reflective. Team meetings cover essential topics and minutes are shared with all staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager receives regular supervision and development opportunities. The manager recognises and is working towards developing their approach to challenge and forging relationships with placing authorities and other relevant stakeholders.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager recognises when incidents occur and manages these appropriately. The manager should ensure that they have a clear understanding of the threshold to notify Ofsted of a serious event so that these are notified in line with regulations in a timely manner.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Both staff and the manager ensure that the premises meet the needs of children and are personalised based on their wishes. However, there have been delays in repairs being completed due to provider protocols. Staff have shown that they will repeatedly raise any maintenance requirements to ensure that the home remains in good repair and that any issues are addressed in a timely way. Inspection report for children’s home: 1253008 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have a system in place so that all serious events are notified, within 24 hours, to the appropriate people. (‘Guide to Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.13)

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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: 1253008 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: Suite 1 & 5, Riverside Business Centre, Foundry Lane, Milford, Belper DE56 0RN

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Inspectors

Vikki Thwaites, Social Care Inspector Lisa Finch, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1253008 7 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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