Children's Home run by Esland North Limited in Rotherham

Inspection report for children’s home: SC488223 1 SC488223 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

The home is owned and managed by a private provider. It provides care for up to 3 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in March 2026. The registered manager is currently absent from the home. There is a manager in post who has day-to-day oversight of the home.

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Information about this children’s home

Two children were living at the home at the time of this 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: SC488223 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/07/2025 Full Good 18/01/2023 Full Good 15/02/2022 Full Good 19/11/2019 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC488223 3

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Summary of findings

Since the last full inspection, one child has moved into the home and one child has moved out. Two children currently live at the home. They are settled and are making progress. Children have positive day-to-day routines, and they enjoy open and trusting relationships with staff.

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Summary of findings

The risks for the children living at the home have reduced and serious incidents are rare. However, the risks for one child increased when they lived at the home, and it was decided that the child needed to move to a new home.

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Summary of findings

The registered manager is absent from the home. There is an experienced and suitably qualified interim manager in post who has day-to-day oversight of the home. The interim manager provides staff with support and effective leadership.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s day-to-day experiences are positive. Children respond to the routines and boundaries in place. They enjoy trusting and open relationships with staff who provide children with a good quality of consistent and nurturing care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since moving into the home, children have improved health outcomes. Children are supported to access medical appointments, which means that they are now accessing the right treatment. Children’s emotional and mental health is understood. Children with an identified need for therapy are accessing support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s experience in education is mixed. One child attends school and is making progress. The other child has experienced barriers to their education, and this has impacted on their attendance and engagement in school. There is a multi-agency plan in place to consider the suitability of this child’s school placement and to ensure that the child receives the right support with their education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are helped to spend time with the people who are important in their lives. Staff build positive relationships with the children’s families and friends, and they help the children to maintain these relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s experiences of living at the home are captured in photo albums and memory books. Staff keep personalised diaries for each child in which they write a positive comment about the child daily. These books provide children with invaluable memories to take with them when they move on from the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warm and welcoming. Children are involved in decorating and personalising their bedrooms and their personalities are reflected throughout the home. Furthermore, Inspection report for children’s home: SC488223 4 children are consulted with regularly. Records capture how children’s wishes and feelings are sought and responded to.

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

Children living at the home are settled, risks are reduced and incidents are rare. However, the risks for one child increased when they lived at the home. Incidents and episodes of going missing from home increased and a decision was made that the child needed to move to a new home.

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

Children’s individual risk assessments identify known risks to each child. They provide clear guidance for staff, and they are kept under review by the manager.

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

Serious incidents are rare. When children struggle with their emotions, staff use their relationships with children to keep them calmer. This positive approach means that staff do not need to physically restrain children. Records show that staff talk to children about risks and they help children to reflect on their behaviour when an incident has happened.

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

Children living at the home rarely go missing. However, there was an increase in episodes of going missing and an increase in associated risks for one child who has since moved out of the home. Records show that staff are proactive in their response when a child goes missing. They search for the child and report them as missing to the police to ensure a prompt return home.

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

Allegations are taken seriously. They are investigated and information is shared with safeguarding professionals. Two children have raised a complaint about the conduct of a member of staff. Leaders and managers followed internal procedures to investigate the complaints, and they have taken appropriate action to address the concerns. Records show that children have been kept updated during the process and that they have received feedback about the outcome of their complaint.

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

Internal systems for the safe recruitment of staff are effective. However, one staff employed through a recruitment agency did not have a full employment history held on their file.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is currently absent from the home. There is an experienced and suitably qualified interim manager in post who has day-to-day oversight of the home. The interim manager is a positive role model for staff, and she provides the team with effective leadership. Furthermore, the manager knows the children well and she has a strong oversight of the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC488223 5 Staff receive good-quality supervision, which is supportive and reflective. Staff are happy in their roles. They said that morale is high and that they feel supported by the interim manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings take place regularly and are well attended. These meetings allow staff to discuss the children, and to reflect on practice with the in-house clinical team. This reflection provides staff with an additional layer of support and better equips them to meet the children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are provided with a range of core training. They are also supported to access additional training to better equip them to meet the specific needs of individual children living at the home. The interim manager ensues that staff’s safeguarding knowledge is regularly assessed, and that staff development is kept under review.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The systems in place to review the quality of care and staff development are effective. When shortfalls are identified, they are addressed in a timely way.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff have built positive relationships with professionals involved with the children. Overall, feedback from professionals is positive. They said that the quality of care is good and that children are happy living at the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC488223 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure, as set out in regulations 31-33, that they maintain good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. This relates specifically to when staff are employed through a recruitment agency. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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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: SC488223 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

Rachel Webster, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC488223 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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