Children's home run by Esland North Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 1276249 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 is a privately owned home. It is registered to provide care for up to 3 children who may have social and emotional difficulties or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 3 children were living in the home. One child was spending time with their family and was not present during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in 2024.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 30 October 2024

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1276249 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/10/2024 Full Good 13/12/2023 Full Good 21/06/2022 Full Good 10/02/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: 1276249 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children make exceptional progress in all areas of their development. Staff know the children well and understand how their life experiences impact on their emotional wellbeing and development. Staff provide care that is tailored to children’s individual needs. One social worker said how staff have helped the child grow in confidence and how staff have empowered the child. Another social worker commented how all the risks for the child have stopped since they moved into the home. A teaching assistant said: ‘Staff have really got to know [child’s name] as an individual and they have made a real difference to [child’s name] life.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Care planning for children is exceptional. Two children have lived in the home for several years, providing consistency and a sense of belonging. Staff support children to develop skills for independent living. Staff recognise the challenge for children moving on to independence and additional support which may need to be in place to provide the best outcomes for children. When children move out of the home, staff ensure these moves are well planned and consider individual children’s needs. Planning is completed in advance, ensuring that endings are positive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The manager and staff are strong advocates for children. Children attend school full time. Where one child has not been in education for some time, staff ensure that educational activities are part of the daily routine. These are tailored to the child’s specific interests and through multi-agency support. A social worker said how staff have supported a child attending education where there was a risk of the child going missing. Staff remained nearby to provide this support. The social worker added how the child feels believed in by the staff and how staff can see the progress the child is making.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children are helped by staff to spend time with people who are important to them. Staff work in partnership with children’s families and social workers to ensure that appropriate relationships are maintained. Progress for one child has meant they are able to see their family members without staff having to be present. This has included extended periods of time. Staff remain in contact with children where family time is not supervised. This ensures that children feel able to contact staff if they need any support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff encourage children to do a variety of activities. Community activities include after- school clubs, attending youth groups, horse riding, including visiting the stables, and going to the gym. This develops children’s confidence and opportunities to socialise and make new friends.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Excellent individual sessions with children help them voice their opinions. Sessions are tailored to children’s specific needs and are planned and unplanned. Staff connect behaviours to feelings and talk to children about different ways to manage their emotions. A member of staff said how important it is ‘to look at the traumas instead of Inspection report for children’s home: 1276249 4 the behaviour.’ Staff use curiosity and show empathy to children when discussing their feelings. Children are listened to and their views are valued by staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The home environment is child friendly, warm and welcoming. Children’s bedrooms are personalised. However, children need support from staff to develop skills in keeping their bedroom clean and tidy.

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

Children’s risks are identified and well understood by staff. Risk assessments are clear and highly detailed. This ensures that staff know how best to support children when they are struggling with their emotions. Staff know the children extremely well and this is a key factor in helping keep children safe.

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

Staff manage significant incidents very well. They use distraction techniques and emotional reassurance to support children who are struggling to manage their feelings and emotions. One child was often struggling at a regular time of day. Staff recognised this and put a plan in place to support the child by developing an ‘offload hour’. This gives the child opportunity to spend time with staff to share feelings and be provided with emotional support and reassurance from staff. As a result, there has been a significant reduction in incidents.

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

Children do not often go missing. There have been 2 instances of children going missing from home during this inspection period. Staff do all they can to locate children and return them home. Communication by staff with other professionals and family is excellent. Staff are supportive of children when they return. They show care and empathy through supportive discussion and ensuring children’s health and welfare.

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

Staff are committed and enthusiastic about achieving the best outcomes for children. They have an excellent understanding of children’s care plans. The manager and staff work together with external professionals and family to progress care plans. A school safeguarding lead said: ‘[Child’s name] has made significant progress since being there. [Child’s name] is well looked after and cared for, and their missing episodes have reduced dramatically.’ The safeguarding lead added: ‘They [the manager and staff] have made a massive difference to their life.’

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

Specialist support is available for staff and children. A clinician works with staff and children to provide direct therapeutic support. Staff support and care of children is trauma informed. Team around the child meetings are held monthly. Children’s individual needs are discussed and advice and guidance are provided to staff by the clinician. The clinician reflected on one child, observing that there is ‘something here that they are able to feel stable and secure.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 1276249 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

A dedicated manager leads this home. He speaks affectionately about the children, demonstrating a commitment to meeting their needs and ensuring they are supported to make progress. The manager has high expectations of staff and consistently high aspirations for children. This is mirrored by the whole team. Staff feel well supported by managers and each other. The manager is reflective about his own and the team’s practice and is committed to improving care for children. An NVQ assessor praised the manager for demonstrating strong, child-focused leadership with clear oversight of staff practice and safeguarding.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Internal and external monitoring of the home are effective. The manager and staff constantly seek the views of children, and they demonstrate an in-depth understanding of children’s experiences. The manager’s quality of care review report is critically reflective. Oversight is strengthened by the manager’s presence in the home and the positive relationships developed with children. The manager supports staff to develop their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager and staff communicate well with social workers and other external professionals. A teaching assistant said: ‘[Name of the home] were a fantastic placement to work with, supportive of decisions that school made, and most importantly, supportive of each young person in their care.’ One child has regular therapy sessions. The manager communicates with the therapist before these sessions. This ensures that the therapist focuses on the most important worry for the child at that time. This enables consistency of care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff training is effective, helping staff to develop skills and provide exceptional care to children. Additional training is sought in relation to the children’s specific needs. The manager is clear about the ethos and model of care he promotes across the home. Learning from training is embedded in daily practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff benefit from regular supervision and team meetings. They are held frequently, and consider the individual needs of children and the support that staff require to undertake their role. Staff have support from a therapist, which helps them reflect and implement the home’s therapeutic model.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Children’s records are well organised, up to date and detailed. They help the reader understand what children’s experiences are and how staff provide support. However, language used by staff is not always child friendly. Inspection report for children’s home: 1276249 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children live in an environment where the general cleanliness is consistently good and required maintenance is addressed without delay. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7)  The registered person should ensure that children’s records are written using child- friendly language. (‘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: 1276249 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: Suites 1 & 5 Riverside Business Centre, Foundry Lane, Belper, Derbyshire DE56 0RN

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Inspector

Kathryn Hurley, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1276249 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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Inspector

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