Children's Home run by Esland North Limited in Leicestershire

Inspection report for children's home: 2637140 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 owned and operated by a large provider. It is registered to provide care for one child who may have social and emotional needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager was absent from the home and resigned during the inspection. Ofsted was aware of investigations being undertaken at the time of the inspection, and the provider is working with external agencies. A deputy manager and the responsible individual supported this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

There was one child living in the home, and their views were sought.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and/or widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2637140 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/10/2023 Full Good 24/05/2022 Full Good 25/01/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: 2637140 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Since the last inspection, one child has moved out and one child has moved in. Leaders and managers have reflected with staff on the ending of the previous child’s time at the home. This helped with identifying the positives and negatives of this unexpected ending.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The child has started to make some small progress, but this has been impacted on by poor care and safeguarding practices of staff. Ineffective leadership and management have not identified emerging concerns, and these have not been adequately addressed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The child has poor daily routines because there is an overreliance on screen time and gaming through an electronic tablet and television. Educational activities away from the home are focused on a gaming café. The child is spending more than 10 hours a day engaging in these activities, and this is impacting on all areas of their life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

A professional, and some staff, commented about the changes in the child because of this, with the child being less active and reluctant to engage in conversations and activities. Staff also raised concerns about the risks to the child from these activities and how, at times, screen time is being used to avoid incidents of behaviour that may challenge. There is a risk that the child is becoming overly reliant on gaming, which would be harmful to their social and emotional development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The child has a poor diet, but steps are being taken to improve it by providing a wide range of healthier options for the child to develop their tastes. The child continues to be provided with unhealthy snacks as an alternative, as there is a fear the child would not eat otherwise. Support has been accessed through the children’s nurse, but the inactivity and unhealthy diet are impacting on the child’s physical health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Some progress has been made with sleep routines, and this is positive as the child is now feeling safer during bedtimes. Staff are offering support and reassurance to help the child settle and have redecorated the child’s bedroom with items that reflect their likes and dislikes. Additional support is available through the home’s clinical team, but this has been limited. An assessment of the child’s needs has not yet been completed despite this being an action from their last review.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The child has a tutor who visits the home daily to provide some education, but attendance and engagement are variable. A new education, health and care plan has been implemented, and efforts are being made to access a school provision. The hope is that this will provide the child with structure and routines and an opportunity to develop friendships to help with their social skills. Educational activities are scheduled in the afternoon, but these are limited to gaming or soft-play areas, which limits their opportunities for physical and educational development. Inspection report for children's home: 2637140 4 Family time has not been supported and promoted in line with an agreed plan. This has prevented the child and family from developing and maintaining these important connections.

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

The management of allegations that the child has made about staff is poor. The recording is limited to one line on a piece of paper, with no context provided for the allegation. There is no record of what action has been taken in response or whether these concerns have been shared with external safeguarding professionals.

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

Allegations are not recorded in incident reports or in the child’s daily records. Some allegations relate to physical abuse and inappropriate staff practices. Leaders and managers were unaware of some of the allegations and, as a result, have not taken any action. This means that children are at risk of harm.

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

The child has also made historical allegations about previous carers. These are not being reported and recorded in a timely way to the child’s social worker. This prevents immediate action from being taken in response. Staff are not provided with guidance on how to manage this risk in the child’s care and support plans or in the risk assessments.

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

Not all staff know and understand the safeguarding policies in place or what action they should take in response to an allegation. This places children at risk of harm.

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

Staff are using their personal mobile phones to play online games and chat with a child in an open messenger chat within games. This exposes the child to a potential risk of harm, as they are sharing personal information in an online forum. As staff are using their personal mobile phones, including in the child’s bedroom, this has the potential to also expose the child to harm. The risks of online gaming and interactions are not fully considered in risk assessments.

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

Staff are not using whistle-blowing procedures to raise concerns about poor practice. There is evidence of a closed culture in the home, which has the potential to place the child at risk of harm. There has been some racist language used by a child towards staff, and this has not been appropriately challenged or addressed. Staff do not always feel supported when managing behaviour that may challenge, and this is leading to inconsistencies in staff practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The leadership and management are ineffective because there have been insufficient management oversight and scrutiny of children’s care. The monitoring systems in place have been ineffective in identifying safeguarding concerns and the lack of recording, reporting and sharing of information relating to allegations about staff. Ofsted, as the regulator, has not been informed of safeguarding concerns, and this has prevented independent oversight. Inspection report for children's home: 2637140 5 The registered manager has been absent for some time and resigned during this inspection. The management arrangements in the manager’s absence are not sufficient. A deputy manager is providing oversight to two homes and is not being sufficiently supported by senior leaders and managers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have failed to identify safeguarding concerns and have not used professional curiosity when concerns have been raised by the independent visitor to the home. Despite shortfalls being identified over several months, leaders and managers have failed to act in response to them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There has been a significant change in staff since the last inspection, and most staff are inexperienced and unqualified. Staff have raised concerns about the consistency of care practices and support for the team during this difficult time.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff are not having regular supervision, which further impacts them, as they are not being helped to reflect on or discuss any concerns in practice they may have. Staff have the opportunity to undertake mandatory and additional training to help improve their knowledge and skills. Inspection report for children's home: 2637140 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 with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; and

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background; and

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(iv)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to the child having a care plan and daily routines that promote their physical, emotional and educational skills and well-being. 28 February 2025

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Requirement Due date

*The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that staff— 28 February 2025 Inspection report for children's home: 2637140 7 assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm; and

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vii)(b)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to the recording, reporting and management oversight of allegations, staff knowledge and understanding of safeguarding policies, staff understanding of whistle-blower policies and keeping the child safe online.

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Requirement Due date

*The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; 28 February 2025 Inspection report for children's home: 2637140 8 ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to leaders and managers providing effective oversight and scrutiny of the home to ensure children are receiving safe and consistent care.

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and

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Requirement Due date

is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(iii)) 28 February 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy which—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard children accommodated in the children’s home from abuse or neglect; and

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Requirement Due date

sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect.

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Requirement Due date

The procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect must, in particular—

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Requirement Due date

provide for the prompt referral of an allegation about current or ongoing abuse or neglect in relation to a child to the placing authority and, if different, the local authority in whose area the home is located;

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Requirement Due date

provide for the prompt referral of an allegation about past abuse or neglect in relation to a child to the placing authority and, if different, the local authority in whose area the alleged abuse or neglect occurred; 28 February 2025 Inspection report for children's home: 2637140 9 provide for records to be kept of an allegation of abuse or neglect, and the action taken in response; and

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Requirement Due date

describe how and to whom staff are to report, without delay, any concern about abuse or neglect of a child. (Regulation 34 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(c)(d)(f))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)) 28 February 2025

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice

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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 Home’s Regulations, including the quality standards’. Inspection report for children's home: 2637140 10

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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 Orriss, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2637140 11 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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