Children's Home run by Esland North Limited in Derbyshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC433430 1 SC433430 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

This home is owned and operated by a private provider. It provides care for up to four children who experience emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Three children were living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2024. They were present for both days of 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

Date of last inspection: 21 January 2025

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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: SC433430 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/01/2025 Full Good 26/09/2023 Full Good 12/04/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 01/09/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC433430 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is comfortable, warm and well maintained and children’s bedrooms are personalised. This enables children to feel safe and to have a home they enjoy spending time in. Children’s leisure interests are promoted and resources such as games consoles, gym equipment and musical instruments are provided in the communal areas. Staff promote activities in and out of the home which match children’s interests and aspirations and which they enjoy. The activities provided promote learning and development, for example, staff incorporate learning opportunities into activities such as baking. Staff want the home to be a playful environment, for example, using creative ideas for the ‘elf on the shelf’ game in December, and there are playful interactions between children and staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff make deliberate and sustained efforts to understand and incorporate children’s family customs and traditions into the home environment. They demonstrate sensitivity and anticipate children’s needs effectively. For example, staff recognise the emotional challenges and feelings of loss that the Christmas period can evoke for some children. They work proactively in partnership with children’s social workers to ensure that individualised plans are in place to support safe and meaningful family time. Staff also consider the potential impact on other children in the home and take steps to ensure that all children feel cared for and are able to participate in celebrations.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s moves into and out of the home are generally well planned, to ensure they feel supported and valued. For example, when children move from other homes within the organisation, staff work shifts at the previous home to introduce themselves and begin building relationships. This means that children are welcomed by familiar staff who already understand their needs, which helps to reduce anxiety. When children leave the home, staff maintain contact with them. This thoughtful and nurturing approach reduces the potential for children to experience further feelings of rejection or loss and actively supports the development of their relational resilience.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff promote a culture of education and children are supported to have access to learning. The manager uses policy well to challenge partner agencies and advocate for children’s needs when adequate education is not being provided. A child who had not accessed education for three years at the time of moving in now feels able to attend daily lessons, and their achievements are celebrated by all staff in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and managers work hard to build and maintain relationships with children’s families. This has enabled some children to move back to live with their family. Family members value and trust the care given to the children. One family member said staff had ‘brought back my child back to me. They are full of laughter now. There is a lot of empathy in the home.’ Inspection report for children’s home: SC433430 4

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

Staff and managers understand the children’s vulnerabilities. Each child has a care and support plan that details their individual needs and any worries. The plans give staff guidance on how to care for and safeguard children effectively and are updated regularly.

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

When children need to move from the home, the manager and staff share relevant information about the child’s vulnerabilities, and plan moves in a way that will help keep the child safe.

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

When significant incidents, such as children being missing from home or self-injurious behaviours, occur, children are supported by staff who have a good understanding of their needs and have received child-specific training. Staff can explain the procedures that they follow.

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

Staff engage children in planned and ad hoc discussions about potential risks, for example, the risks of vaping. This enables open and honest discussions and children feel supported.

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

Staff do not consistently recognise when children make complaints during incidents. Children do not have easy access to a complaints process without asking staff for a form. This limits children’s ability to raise concerns independently. The independent visitor does not consistently capture the views of all children in their reports. As a result, children’s views are not always known or consistently used to inform staff development. However, children said they would feel able to share any concerns with staff if they wished and said when a complaint was made, the manager took appropriate action.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a clear vision for the children and high aspirations for their progress. She provides strong support to staff, who feel well supported in their roles. Staff speak positively about the manager, with one describing her as ‘amazing’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff work well with partner agencies. The manager ensures that regular meetings with external professionals take place when needed. Professionals speak positively of the staff and managers and how they have supported children to make progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are well attended and focus on the presenting needs of the children. Supervisions take place regularly and staff feel they are useful and supportive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager uses auditing processes effectively to identify and address shortfalls in safeguarding practice. For example, when sharps checks were missed, this was identified and resolved promptly, ensuring no significant impact on children. A review of learning led to changes in policy and procedure, which were shared with staff through team Inspection report for children’s home: SC433430 5 meetings and supervision. This reflective approach strengthens safeguarding arrangements and helps to keep children safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Senior staff are proactive in helping the team to develop new skills to promote safety and wellbeing for children. For example, one senior staff member has developed and delivered training to teach staff how to recognise risks on specific websites and social media sites. They have provided a step-by-step reference guide for staff to refer to when carrying out phone monitoring.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular training that they find relevant and helpful, including training tailored to the needs of children in the home. The manager records training through supervision and team meetings. However, these records do not show reflective discussions about how training has improved practice or reduced risks for children. As a result, it is difficult for leaders to be assured that training is having the intended impact on children’s safety and wellbeing.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff receive training and guidance from a clinical therapist, in line with the therapeutic ethos of the home. However, this approach is not consistently applied and is not yet embedded in practice. Although formulation meetings take place with the clinical therapist, children’s plans do not reflect the agreed strategies. Leaders have not assured themselves that the therapeutic approach is being implemented consistently. Inspection report for children’s home: SC433430 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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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

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;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; 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)(f)(g)(ii)(h)) 4 March 2026

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Recommendation

 Children should be consulted regularly on their views about the home’s care, to inform and support continued improvement in the quality of care provided. Due consideration should be given to the child’s cognitive ability in the development and Inspection report for children’s home: SC433430 7 implementation of any consultation processes. Children should be able to see the results of their views being listened to and acted upon. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)

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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: SC433430 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: Esland Ltd, Suite 1 & 5, Riverside Business Centre, Foundry Lane, Milford, Belper DE56 0RN

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Inspector

Terrianne George, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC433430 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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