Children's Home run by Esland North Limited in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2742639 1 Registered provider: Esland North Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private company owns this home. The home opened in December 2023 and provides care for up to 2 children who may display complex behaviours because of their experiences. The home offers short-term placements of 12 weeks to assess children’s care needs before they move to longer-term care arrangements.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2026. They are suitably experienced and qualified.

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Information about this children’s home

One child was living at the home during the inspection. The child spoke to the inspector and shared their views.

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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: 2742639 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/06/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2742639 3

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Summary of findings

When children experience unplanned endings, managers take time to reflect on their experiences and to identify and implement learning. No children lived at the home between July 2025 and April 2026. Ofsted applied a condition to the registration of the home in August 2025 requiring them to inform Ofsted of their intention to admit a child 3 months before they move in. A monitoring visit took place to review the condition in January 2026 and found the home was ready to admit children. Managers used the period while no children were living at the home to upskill staff through training and to improve their systems for monitoring the home and gathering information about children before they move in.

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Summary of findings

Changes in staff and leadership have not always ensured that children receive continuity of care. However, managers identified this shortfall, and a full team is now in place. Managers are aware of the areas for development for the home and have clear plans to continue to enhance the quality of care. Staff are well trained and build strong, trusting relationships with children, which support children to settle quickly. The child living at the home is happy and making good progress despite only recently moving in. Staff say they feel well supported. They provide children with nurturing care and speak about them with warmth and affection. This helps to ensure that children’s experiences are positive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, 4 children have moved into the home, and 3 children have moved out. When children experienced unplanned endings, managers identified and implemented learning. Since the monitoring visit in January 2026, 2 children have moved into the home, and one child has moved out. The child who moved out made excellent progress from their starting point and moved on in a well-planned way in line with recommendations from their assessment. Staff have stayed in touch with the child, promoting a continued sense of belonging. As a result, the child’s experience of the move was positive, and they have settled well in their new home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from nurturing care from staff who know and understand them well. Staff are skilled at building positive, trusting relationships. The child living at the home said they are happy. They have people they can speak to and they feel safe. Despite only recently moving in, they have settled quickly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure the home is well maintained, clean and inviting. They prepare welcome baskets for children to enjoy when they move in, and they support children to personalise their bedrooms. This promotes a sense of belonging and supports children to feel valued. High-quality soft furnishings contribute to a homely atmosphere. Inspection report for children’s home: 2742639 4 Staff and managers place a high priority on education and promote it well. A qualified teacher regularly attends the home to provide guidance to staff and complete direct work with children. Staff support children to complete work that is certificated through an accredited awards scheme, and managers capture educational progress and attainment in clear records. As a result, children make positive educational progress, develop confidence in their abilities and are better equipped to achieve their future goals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to build positive routines through the provision of structured activities. Adventurous activities such as paddleboarding, climbing and mountain biking are on offer. This supports children to build self-esteem and confidence while expanding their interests and learning new skills.

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

Staff are trained in how to de-escalate incidents, and physical intervention is used only as a last resort to keep children safe. Staff and children are routinely spoken to after incidents. These discussions provide an opportunity to reflect on experiences and identify learning, which staff put into practice. This helps to ensure that staff provide tailored care and that practice is continually improving.

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

Staff are supported to reflect on their experiences and to identify strategies to manage children’s behaviours through regular meetings with a therapeutic lead clinician. The clinician completes an assessment of children’s needs and produces a report that makes clear recommendations for children’s future care needs. This helps to ensure that professionals understand children’s needs and promotes positive outcomes.

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

Incidents of children going missing from care are rare and well managed. Staff are vigilant to signs that indicate children may be at risk of going missing from care. Plans provide staff with clear guidance on the steps they need to take to keep children safe. This means, for some children, there has been a substantial reduction in risk as a result of living at the home.

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

Incidents of self-harm are managed well. Staff are trained and provide empathetic care and support. They take action to ensure children’s immediate safety. Staff support children to access external support from qualified professionals. This helps to ensure children’s safety and wellbeing.

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

Staff support and promote children’s health well. Managers ensure they hold relevant information on children’s needs when they move into the home. Staff support children to attend appointments and follow up on any actions. They have regular discussions with children, which support them to develop the skills they need to understand and manage their own health. Inspection report for children’s home: 2742639 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and responsible individual have been appointed since the last inspection. They are experienced, skilled and committed to children, staff and the home. Leadership changes have, at times, affected the consistency of the support available to staff. However, the leadership team is now stable and provides continuity and a consistent approach. As a result, staff report feeling well supported and confident in the direction and guidance they receive. They describe the manager as approachable, understanding and committed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers foster positive relationships with external professionals and ensure effective communication and information-sharing, which helps to ensure children’s risks are understood and responded to effectively. Professionals are positive about their experiences of working with staff and managers, who they describe as committed and knowledgeable. They say staff are strong advocates for children’s views and ensuring they have what they need to thrive. A child’s social worker reported that they were very impressed by the strength of the team around the child and the thoroughness of the manager’s assessment process in determining whether the setting could meet the child’s needs effectively. Another professional reported that their child was listened to by staff. They said, ‘I can’t praise the staff enough’, and attributed the child’s positive progress directly to the high-quality care, support and consistency provided by the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from high-quality supervision, which includes reflection on practice and regular appraisals of their performance. This helps to ensure they are continually developing their skills. As a result, staff feel supported, valued and confident in their roles. It also enables them to deliver safe, effective and child-centred care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from thorough induction into their roles, which includes a comprehensive range of training. This helps to ensure that staff are suitably skilled and understand their roles and responsibilities well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers complete comprehensive evaluations of incidents and identify learning. However, evaluations have not always captured effectively when language in records is unclear. While this is a recording issue, it impedes the effectiveness of evaluations. In addition, on one occasion, managers did not complete a report on the quality of care, while a recent report did not identify all areas for development that the manager was aware of. This does not demonstrate that systems for monitoring are always effective. The manager is aware of this area for development and has a plan to address it.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers explore reasons for staff leaving, and a full team is now in place. However, changes have impacted on the continuity of staffing since the last inspection. A stable team is now in place, but some changes are recent and the team is still forming.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

One requirement has been met, and 2 recommendations have been lifted since the last inspection. One new requirement has been made as a result of this inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: 2742639 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) 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(s) 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

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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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; 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)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that:

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Requirement Due date

evaluations of incidents identify when language in records is unclear

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Requirement Due date

staffing remains consistent to provide children with continuity of care

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care report is consistently completed and identifies relevant areas for development 22 October 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2742639 7

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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: 2742639 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: Suites 1 & 5 Riverside Business Centre, Foundry Lane, Belper, Derbyshire DE56 0RN

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Neil Harcourt-Poole

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Inspector

Laura Norcop, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2742639 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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