Children's home run by Esland North Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2570055 1 Registered provider: Esland North Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private company. It provides care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2023 and is suitably qualified.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, three children were living at the home. All the children spoke to the inspector during 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: 2570055 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/06/2024 Full Good 16/05/2023 Full Good 14/03/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 25/05/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2570055 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to develop trusting relationships with their family members. Staff use creative approaches to help children learn about their family history, which enables children to feel safer and more confident when meeting family members. For example, staff helped one child to feel comfortable and reassured when preparing to live with their family. They also work closely with family members to help them understand the child’s individual needs. One parent said staff are ‘amazing’ in supporting their relationship with their child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to access education and to make progress in line with their individual needs. When children experience difficulties in school, staff actively encourage attendance and engagement in school life. For example, one child who previously experienced barriers to education is now attending school full time. When children move into the home, staff proactively liaise with education professionals to identify a suitable school or educational setting.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to explore their personal interests. Staff support their participation in activities and hobbies. For example, one child enjoys dance lessons, and another child enjoys swimming lessons. Staff also promote children spending time with their friends, both at their home and in the community, which supports their social development and independence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved in, and during the inspection another child was preparing to move out to live with their family. A family member said that the manager and staff have been ‘wonderful’ in supporting the child’s move. A leaving celebration was held for the child with their friends, family and staff, highlighting the thoughtful approach to supporting children to move on.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home provides a comfortable and relaxing environment, with framed photos of the children proudly displayed in communal areas, creating a homely atmosphere. Staff support children to design their bedrooms to reflect their personal identity. The spacious garden, equipped with a trampoline and football goal, offers children opportunities to play, socialise and enjoy activities such as barbecues.

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

The managers and staff team understand the children’s needs well. When children’s needs change, their support and risk plans are updated to provide effective guidance for staff. The manager arranges training for staff to reflect the children’s needs. For example, staff received additional training to support a child’s mental health needs. This ensures that children receive personalised care from a skilled staff team. Inspection report for children’s home: 2570055 4 Staff are persistent in their support for children when they go missing. They help children understand the risks involved by encouraging them to share their views, wishes and feelings. Staff work in partnership with external agencies to understand the reasons for children going missing. This ensures that all professionals understand children’s needs well and there is effective guidance for staff to follow.

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

Allegations and complaints are promptly investigated by the management team. This shows children that their views are valued and taken seriously. For example, one child raised concerns that staff have different approaches to routines and boundaries. This resulted in the manager arranging for the staff team to receive additional therapeutic training to ensure a consistent approach. This response reinforces a culture of listening and continuous improvement.

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

Staff understand how to use physical interventions safely. Staff work with children to help them understand the reasons why this type of intervention may be necessary to keep them safe. The manager accepts that children’s views, wishes and feelings are not consistently explored and recorded when physical interventions are used. This has been identified as an area for development and is to be addressed with additional training for staff.

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

Staff support children in understanding online safety and respond effectively when concerns arise. They liaise with external professionals to support children who experience online bullying. Staff work in partnership with the police when children are affected by online exploitation. This joint approach provides children with bespoke support to explore their feelings and understand the associated risks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and deputy manager are highly respected by the staff team. They are supportive, nurturing and understand the needs of the children and the staff team well. The responsible individual provides effective leadership that ensures clear management oversight of the home and staff practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The team of staff are resilient and are committed to providing children with a nurturing home environment and with new opportunities. Staff speak positively about the support they receive from leaders and managers. They receive good-quality training, supervisions and appraisals that help develop their practice. When practice concerns are identified, the manager addresses them promptly, ensuring staff receive additional support and training.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are valued and contribute to developing staff practice. The deputy manager takes pride in sharing research with the staff team to enhance their practice. Consultations with the clinical team support staff in exploring children’s needs and ensuring access to specialist support. For example, staff are currently liaising with an external therapeutic service to support one child. Inspection report for children’s home: 2570055 5 Clear monitoring systems are in place to review children’s needs and staff practice. For example, the manager completes a detailed monthly audit covering the home environment, children’s progress and staff development. The management team and responsible individual recognise that recording children’s views, wishes and feelings about their support plans, together with staff reflections, is an ongoing area for development. Inspection report for children’s home: 2570055 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that any child who has been physically restrained should be given the opportunity to express their feelings about their experience of the restraint as soon as is practicable, ideally within 24 hours of the restraint incident, taking the age of the child and the circumstances of the restraint into account. In some cases, children may need longer to work through their feelings, so a record that the child has talked about their feelings should be made no longer than five days after the incident of restraint (regulation 35(3)(c)). Children should be encouraged to add their views and comments to the record of restraint. Children should be offered the opportunity to access advocacy support to help them with this (regulation 7(2)(b)(iii)). (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 50, paragraph 9.60)  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on

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Recommendations

record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: 2570055 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: Esland Ltd, Suite 1 & 5, Riverside Business Centre, Foundry Lane, Milford, Belper DE56 0RN

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Inspector

Siân Heffey, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2570055 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 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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