Children's Home run by Esland North Limited in Derby

Inspection report for children's home: SC478986 1 SC478986 Registered provider: Esland North Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a large national provider. It provides care for up to five children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, three children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is registered with Ofsted and was present throughout the inspection.

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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: SC478986 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/08/2024 Full Good 09/05/2023 Full Good 05/04/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 13/07/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC478986 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children’s views were considered as part of the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved out of the home and one child has moved in. Both transitions were planned; however, the child who left the home did so because the organisation believed it could no longer safely meet their needs. The organisation worked with the child’s social care team to access a more suitable provision. Leaders and managers carried out a lessons-learned review to identify any learning from this to help inform working practices and the development of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home went through an unsettled period earlier in the year but has now settled, and children are making good progress. Children spoken to said they are happy and have positive relationships with the staff team.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have made good progress with their education and are all now engaging in some form of education. Attendance and attainment are improving, and staff work closely with education providers to support the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to keep in touch with their families, and this is important to them. Family members are made to feel welcome, and staff are proactive in facilitating visits and transporting children to see their families.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are well met, and they are registered with local health professionals, such as doctors and dentists. Staff ensure that children have regular check-ups and that their immunisations are up to date.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children engage in a range of activities in the home and community and are building their relationships with each other by spending time together and sharing activities. The manager has demonstrated creativity in giving children a voice and regularly consulting them about the home and their care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Not all the children have up-to-date plans provided by their local authorities, and this has been the case for one child since they moved into the home. The manager has challenged this but has not yet escalated the concern. This means that staff do not have an agreed plan for the child that sets out the expectations of how the home will support and care for them. The home’s plans are clear, detailed and regularly reviewed, but they do not link to an agreed joint plan.

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

Children are kept safe, and staff support them in understanding risks and how to stay safe. Staff have worked with children to help them understand risks when online, and there are systems in place to keep children safer when gaming and using social media. Inspection report for children's home: SC478986 4 There are support plans and risk assessments in place that provide staff with clear guidance on how to best support and help children, particularly during periods when they may become emotionally overwhelmed. One member of staff spoken to did not know the risks for a child or why they needed additional staff support. This means they may not respond in line with agreed plans, which could place the child at risk of harm.

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

The home experienced a crisis period during which a significant number of incidents necessitated the use of restraint. This has now greatly reduced. Incidents are well managed, but staff do not often have debriefs following significant incidents. This is a missed opportunity for reflection on practice and any learning taken from incidents to try and prevent reoccurrence. This also has the potential to leave staff feeling unsupported during difficult periods.

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

Children seldom go missing from the home. When they do, staff follow the procedures in place to try and locate them and encourage them to return home. Allegations against staff are well managed, and external safeguarding professionals are informed. Leaders and managers seek support and advice appropriately.

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

Children know how to raise complaints, and their complaints are managed appropriately. Some language used in the response to complaints is not child friendly, and the manager has plans to improve this and raise awareness in the team.

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

Leaders and managers use safe recruitment practices for any staff employed to work at the home. As a result, children are cared for by staff who are deemed suitable to work with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been a change in manager since the last inspection, and the new manager has brought stability and development to the team. They are focused on making improvements to the standards of care provided and have started to make a difference.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Systems are in place to support quality assurance and management oversight, and improvements have been made but are yet to be fully embedded. The manager is supported by a dedicated responsible individual, who is a visible presence in the home. The team appreciated their support during a crisis period and described it as ‘fantastic’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff do not routinely receive regular supervision or have their work appraised annually. This prevents staff from having regular discussions and reflecting on their working practices and development. This means that issues and concerns are not always identified at the earliest opportunity, such as a lack of understanding of children’s support plans.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff do not consistently complete required training within timescales. The manager does not have protected time for their own training and development, which has led to some Inspection report for children's home: SC478986 5 of their training being out of date. This means that staff are not using opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills to support their working practices.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from external professionals is positive about the progress children make and about the effect the new manager is having on the home. They say that communication is good and that there is more structure to the home and care provided. Inspection report for children's home: SC478986 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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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

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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(v))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that staff understand children’s risk assessments and plans and are aware of the actions they may need to take. 1 September 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)(c)) 1 September 2025

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and 1 September 2025 Inspection report for children's home: SC478986 7 within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (2)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should encourage staff to be ambitious for each child in the home and to acquire the skills and experience necessary to actively support children in achieving their potential. This should include the manager and staff receiving relevant training to provide them with the necessary knowledge and skills. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.5)  The registered person should challenge (under regulation 5 (c)) any placing authority’s request for a child to move into the home in the absence of a complete and current relevant plan or if the placing authority fails to provide an up-to-date plan during the child’s time at the home. It is essential that staff at the home understand what will be required of them before a child moves in, to avoid disruption and instability for the child in the future and for other children in the home. (‘Guide to the

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Recommendations

Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.5)

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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: SC478986 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Esland North Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Suites 1 and 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: SC478986 9 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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