Children's Home run by Esland North Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2648027 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 operated by a private organisation. It provides care for one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

The child 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: 4 December 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: 2648027 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/12/2023 Full Good 18/07/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2648027 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child says they are happy and like living at the home. Since the last inspection, one child has moved in and one child has moved out. Children are helped to move into and on from the home in a planned way.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child enjoys a comfortable, clean, tidy and physically safe living environment. The staff have supported the child to decorate the home for Christmas. The child’s bedroom is decorated to reflect their own tastes. Consequently, the child has a strong sense of belonging in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work collaboratively with other professionals and families. Good communication and information-sharing means that children receive consistent care which helps them to feel settled. One parent said, ‘The way they are with [child’s name] is just amazing, it just works, and communication is fantastic’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children with their education. They work closely with education providers to address concerns that the child is currently receiving less education than their peers. Staff are persistent and advocate for children to receive education that meets their needs. The child regularly engages in tuition in the home and education is consistent. This ensures that the child is supported to achieve their academic potential.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is registered with relevant health services. Access to in-house and external therapeutic support enables the child to address past experiences. The therapist also provides support and guidance to staff, enabling them to reflect on and understand the child’s current and emerging needs. Staff understand children’s healthcare needs and encourage them to take part in fun activities to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff support children to have relationships with people who are important to them. The child’s time with their family is supported in line with their plans. Families are made to feel welcome at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child benefits from access to a variety of new opportunities and fulfilling their activities. Their interests are nurtured, and they are also encouraged to try new things. The child enjoys regular day trips out, holidays and has raised money for charity. This supports the child’s social development and helps improve their confidence and self- esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff regularly encourage the child to express their wishes and feelings. This is achieved through regular discussions. Staff support the child to be involved in their day-to-day care, including activities and meals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Equality and diversity are a strength of the home and different cultures and identities are celebrated. Inspection report for children’s home: 2648027 4

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

The child feels safe living in the home and said, ‘They are amazing, they are my family.’ Children are supported by staff to make progress in all areas of their life.

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

The child’s risk plans are clear and detailed. They provide information for staff on how to help children if there are incidents. Staff act proactively to respond to incidents and understand how to keep children safe. However, the home’s documents are not always recorded in a way that is helpful to children.

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

Staff are calm and caring in their approach and use preventative behaviour management techniques and positive relationships to help the child. Staff are trained in a therapeutic model to use in their day-to-day practice for the benefit of the child. There are clear boundaries and routines in place in the home, with a focus on rewarding the child for positive behaviour. This is something the child responds well to.

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

Staff help children to understand the risks they may be exposed to in the community and online. Children are encouraged and supported to take age-appropriate risks to help develop their independence skills and confidence.

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

Safeguarding incidents are dealt with effectively by managers. Managers appropriately share information with stakeholders. When there are concerns about practice, managers ask for a review of their safeguarding processes by the local authority designated officer. This transparency means that an already well-organised safeguarding process has an independent overview and, because of this, children are safer.

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

Children have not gone missing from this home. Risk management plans show what staff must do if a child does go missing from the home.

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

Medication administration processes are safe. This is because staff have a well- structured and organised system. Additionally, staff are trained and know what to do if a mistake is made, or an error is found.

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

Complaints in the home are low. When a child did raise a complaint, swift action was undertaken to ensure that the child’s voice was heard, their thoughts respected and appropriate action undertaken to resolve the complaint.

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

Recruitment records are clear. The manager ensures that all necessary checks are carried out before staff start working in the home. This helps to ensure that adults working with children are safe to do so.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a manager who has high aspirations and expectations for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2648027 5 There is a good working relationship between the manager and the deputy manager. This helps the management team to have a clear oversight of the day-to-day running of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have developed effective processes to maintain oversight of all aspects of the child’s care. They have ensured that a system is in place for staff to record children’s progress and development. This enables managers to understand the home’s strengths and areas for development. Thorough oversight by managers ensures the continuous development of practice in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A stable staff team provides consistency for the child. Staff are committed, work well together and share the managers’ high aspirations. Staff said they feel supported by the managers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from regular supervision sessions. This gives them the opportunity to reflect on their practice and to identify any additional learning needs. New staff to the home receive additional supervision sessions as part of their induction to help them develop their knowledge and understanding of their role and responsibilities.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff can access a wide range of training courses. There is a culture of learning and development in the home and a desire to improve practice for the benefit of the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings take place regularly to give staff an opportunity to come together and share their skills and knowledge. The in-house clinician attends team around the child meetings to offer support to staff. This improves consistency in staff’s practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has completed a review of the quality of care provided. However, this review does not contain the feedback of opinion from parents, professionals and staff. This is a missed opportunity for the manager to have a complete overview of the quality of care provided. Inspection report for children’s home: 2648027 6

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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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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff record information in a way that is non-stigmatising and helpful to children. (‘Guide to Children Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that the quality of care review considers the opinions of children’s parents, placing authorities and staff. (‘Guide to Children Homes Regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.2)

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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: 2648027 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

Michelle Snape, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2648027 8 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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