Children's Home run by Esland South Limited in Greenwich

Inspection report for children's home: SC386134 1 SC386134 Registered provider: Esland South Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately run home provides care for up to 4 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in December 2008. The manager registered with Ofsted in March 2021 and is suitably qualified.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, there were 3 children living at the home.

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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: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC386134 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/07/2025 Full Outstanding 06/08/2024 Full Outstanding 05/12/2023 Full Good 14/03/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC386134 3

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Summary of findings

Children are supported by a staff team who know them well. As a result, children have made progress from their starting points. Staff provide children with opportunities to build confidence, develop new skills and increase independence. Children generally feel secure in the home and benefit from nurturing care. However, differences in staff approaches at times affect consistency and feelings of stability for some of the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress because they receive individualised care that they respond to well. Staff know the children well and have built trusting, nurturing relationships with most children that help them to feel valued and understood. One child described living at the home as ‘plus 15 out of 10’. Children are encouraged to express their views through house meetings, key-work sessions and day-to-day conversations. These views are generally acted on to influence daily routines and care planning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a rich range of experiences both within the home and in the community. Activities such as go-karting, trampolining and organised holidays reflect children’s individual interests and preferences. Photos of the children are displayed in the home, and individual achievements are celebrated, contributing positively to children’s self- esteem and a growing sense of belonging in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide support for children to achieve positive educational outcomes and prepare them for adulthood. Staff place a strong emphasis on education and work proactively with school staff and other professionals to promote good attendance and engagement. When children require additional support, staff advocate effectively to secure interventions such as one-to-one tutoring, enabling children to overcome barriers to learning and achieve their potential. Older children are helped to develop practical independence skills through planned support, for example with driving lessons, budgeting and cooking. This ensures they are increasingly equipped with the knowledge and confidence required for adult life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that identity and family connections are valued and promoted. They ensure care is personalised and inclusive. Children are encouraged to explore and celebrate their heritage through activities such as preparing culturally relevant meals, attending places of worship and learning skills that are important to them. Family time is promoted whenever it is safe and in the children’s best interests, helping children to maintain meaningful relationships with those people who are important to them. One parent commented that they feel their child has made ‘a lot of progress in every way’. Inspection report for children's home: SC386134 4

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

Children are well protected. Staff understand each child’s individual risks and vulnerabilities. Risk assessments are detailed and regularly reviewed and adapted in response to changing needs and emerging concerns.

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

Allegations are responded to promptly and managed in line with the home’s safeguarding and allegations procedures. Leaders and staff take appropriate and proportionate action to ensure children’s welfare remains paramount. Records provide a clear chronology of events, actions taken and outcomes reached. Learning is also identified to strengthen future practice.

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

Staff benefit from comprehensive and well-planned training that equips them with the knowledge and skills needed to meet the diverse needs of children. Mandatory training is completed, with additional courses provided to reflect the individual needs of children living in the home. Learning from incidents and placement endings is incorporated effectively into ongoing development, enabling staff to continually improve their practice. Refresher training is also provided when required and ensures that safeguarding knowledge remains current and relevant.

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

The implementation of boundaries and behaviour management strategies for children is not yet consistently embedded across the staff team. As a result, staff responses to children’s behaviours vary, and behaviour is not always managed effectively. This has had a negative impact on the experiences of one child and reduces their sense of security and stability.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders are focused on developing a stronger, more effective team. They recognise that team dynamics need strengthening to improve teamwork and ensure a consistent approach for children. They are proactive in identifying any shortfalls in staff practice and areas of concern, providing staff with guidance and support to improve practice. The impact and effectiveness of these monitoring processes are not yet fully established, so the impact and effectiveness is not yet clear

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders promote a culture of reflection. Learning from previous placement breakdowns is used to inform decision-making and strengthen the quality of care provided. External professionals report positively on the standard of care and support offered by staff. One social worker said, ‘The staff team are caring, responsive and child-focused. Communication is effective.’ This demonstrates that staff are committed to working collaboratively to achieve positive outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and staff place significant importance on building and maintaining trusting relationships with children’s families and professionals. Staff go above and beyond to create meaningful opportunities for communication with parents, helping them feel reassured and informed about their child’s care. Children are comfortable in the presence of staff and engage in warm, positive and playful interactions. Inspection report for children's home: SC386134 5 Staff report they feel well supported through regular supervision and team meetings, which provide opportunities for reflection, practice discussion and professional development. Clinical input further supports staff to meet children’s emotional and development needs effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders do not consistently challenge independent scrutiny. The provider has not sufficiently challenged or escalated concerns regarding the quality of independent visitor reports, including highlighting areas for development and seeking parent feedback. As a result, opportunities have not always been taken to improve the effectiveness of independent monitoring. Inspection report for children's home: SC386134 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff have the capacity and competence to build constructive, warm relationships with children that actively promote positive behaviour, to provide the foundations for managing any negative behaviour. Staff should have the skills to respond consistently to each child’s individual behaviour. Where necessary they should manage conflict, maintain constructive dialogue and react appropriately if challenged by a child in their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.14)  The registered person should ensure that staff have the skills and confidence to communicate easily and understand the importance of listening to, involving and responding to the children they care for. Staff should understand that they have a responsibility to observe, notice and respond to children who are expressing their views, acknowledging that it is not the sole responsibility of the child to ‘tell’. They

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Recommendations

should also understand how children might communicate their feelings through their behaviour or non-verbally, especially where the child has a disability which does not allow them to communicate as others might. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.10)  The registered person should ensure that the independent visitor has the skills to accurately assess and review incidents and seek the views of parents involved in children’s care, to ensure continuous improvement and sustain good practice. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)

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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: SC386134 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Esland South Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Suites 1 & 5, Riverside Business Centre, Foundry Lane, Milford, Belper, Derbyshire DE56 0RN

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Inspector

Kay Barnett, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC386134 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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