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 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. Both children were spoken to during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was 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

Date of last inspection: 10 December 2024

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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

10/12/2024 Full Good 16/08/2023 Full Good 17/10/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 13/01/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: 1253008 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff establish positive relationships with children. Staff and children enjoy spending time together and engaging in meaningful conversations. Staff know the children well and help them to access activities aligned with their interests. One child who has an interest in animals has been horse riding and to ‘puppy love’ sessions with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

On entering the home, it feels welcoming and child-friendly. Children’s certificates, artwork and photos are on display throughout the home. Staff and children talk and laugh during the day. Staff give regular praise and celebrate achievements with children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s bedrooms are well furnished and personalised to their taste. Staff encourage children to spend time in the communal areas of the home. Evening meals are often eaten together and used as an opportunity to discuss how children’s days have been.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have shown a commitment to maintaining relationships with children. One child who has now left the home had experienced 15 moves in two years. The child lived in the home for nine months, offering them a period of stability. In line with their plans, staff have remained in contact with them, demonstrating an understanding of the significance of their relationship. Information was shared with the new provider to help transfer the care successfully.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children leave the home, they have a memory book and a positive comments book, which staff write in daily. Staff understand the importance of the language used in children’s records and are making progress in writing records for children so that they are accessible, kind and meaningful, should they wish to view their records in the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s education is prioritised and encouraged and their achievements are celebrated by staff. Staff speak with pride about the children’s achievements and recently attended a graduation ceremony with one child. Photos of this occasion are displayed in the home. The managers in the home advocate appropriately at education meetings. Managers helped maintain stability for a child who had previously struggled to access education consistently.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know who is important to children and understand the significance of these relationships. Children talk about family members, friends and past carers with staff. One child wanted to increase contact with their siblings; staff successfully advocated for this change on their behalf. Staff support children to attend family time, meaning that relationships are maintained.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are helped to have healthy routines around sleep, oral hygiene and mealtimes. Children receive emergency and planned medical care. Staff have supported children to attend assessment appointments concerning neurodiversity. Staff support children to attend therapy sessions and communicate effectively with the therapists. Staff have Inspection report for children’s home: 1253008 4 sought additional support for one child from the looked-after children’s nurse. This means that children’s health needs are met.

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

Children in the home feel safe and are helped and protected effectively. Children can identify adults whom they trust and who can help them. Staff use the children’s plans to ensure their safety and seek help from external agencies. Children rarely go missing from the home. When they do, there is a coordinated response to ensure their safe return.

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

Staff understand children’s behaviour support plans and risk assessments. Children contribute to their plans through key-work sessions to influence how they are cared for. The plans have therapeutic input from the home’s therapist. This means that children’s behaviour is managed using a calm and consistent approach. The playful approach to managing behaviour has been recognised as a strength by professionals.

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

Children receive predictable, sensitive responses when they are struggling with their emotions and behaviours. Staff in the home are skilled in the use of de-escalation, meaning that physical interventions are used as a last resort to ensure safety. There has been a reduction in the use of physical interventions over the last three months. Following the incidents, children and staff receive a debrief and plans are updated.

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

Transitions in and out of the home are well considered. Managers undertake assessments to better understand the needs of each child living in the home and any potential impacts of this dynamic. The assessments are easy to understand and are based on information available at the time. When there have been difficult peer relationships in the home, staff have tried to manage the safety of each child, ensuring that opportunities for conflict were minimised.

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

When managers are aware of allegations, appropriate actions are taken. There has been a review of allegation management with one of the social workers to ensure the safety of the child, but equally the continuity of care as this is a known risk. There have been occasions when staff have not promptly reported allegations to managers, meaning that there has been a delay in the management oversight and actions taken.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by an enthusiastic registered manager and deputy manager. They share a vision for children to achieve positive outcomes, feel safe and be cared for. Staff receive regular, reflective supervision and appraisals. Following significant incidents, staff have a debrief with managers and lessons learned exercises are completed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team in the home is stable, and agency staff are rarely used. The stability of the staff team provides consistency of care for the children who live in the home. When Inspection report for children’s home: 1253008 5 staff are recruited to the home, there is a thorough induction process with key review points to help ensure that new staff feel supported in the care of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has an overview of all areas of the home. There are robust systems in place to enable the management team to have oversight of the children and the running of the home. This means that children’s plans and care remain on track with minimal drift.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has a good working relationship with the team around children. There is regular, clear communication with professionals. The registered manager has an escalation system in place, which they have used. This has meant reviews take place and key documents required to care for the children are received.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has fostered a learning culture in the home. There is a collaboration of ideas between staff and the therapist to inform responses to children. The therapist engages staff in monthly meetings about the children’s care, encouraging a reflective space and helping to inform therapeutic responses to children. There has been a delay in accessing bespoke training for the staff around the specific needs of the children. Inspection report for children’s home: 1253008 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff report any allegation of abuse immediately to a senior manager within the home. (‘Guide to Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 44, paragraph 9.17)  The registered person should ensure that staff are suitably trained to meet the assessed needs of all the children in the home. (‘Guide to Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 51, paragraph 10.1)

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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 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

Ali Owens, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1253008 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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