Children's Home run by Ethelbert Specialist Homes Limited in Kent

Unique reference number SC023740 Inspection date 26/09/2013 Inspector David Putnam Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 27/03/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This privately owned children's home is registered for up to three children or young people who may have emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding : a service of exceptional quality that significantly exceeds minimum requirements Good : a service of high quality that exceeds minimum requirements Adequate : a service that only meets minimum requirements Inadequate : a service that does not meet minimum requirements

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be outstanding .

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Overall effectiveness

This home specialises in caring for young people who may have learning difficulties. Young people make excellent, demonstrable progress resulting in significant genuine improvements in their outcomes when compared with their individual starting points. Versatile and creative staff recognise, plan for and meet the individual needs of young people. While vulnerability is understood a focus on achievements, rather than difficulties enables young people to flourish.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people understand that their views are important and are supported to confidently express themselves in different ways. This is epitomised in their significant contribution to the recently completed refurbishment of the place they refer to as ‘home’. All young people express and demonstrate a sense of safety and well-being. Limited changes in staff and residents over an extended period lead to a sense of consistency and continuity.

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Overall effectiveness

A highly motivated Registered Manager purposefully plans for the development of this service, using monitoring procedures and external opinion to successfully drive improvements. His earnest desire to offer young people the best possible opportunities inspires the staff team to deliver an outstanding service.

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Overall effectiveness

There are no breaches of regulation identified and no recommendations are made to improve the quality and standards of care.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for young people are outstanding . Young people make exceptional progress across all areas of their lives as a result of stable placements in this home over extended periods. Some young people genuinely recognise that prior to moving here options for their care were limited. However, they go on to take full advantage of the opportunities available to them and turn their lives around. One said, ‘I’m a lot calmer now. Previously I would smash things up.’ Another said, ‘I’ve stopped hanging around with the wrong kids.’ Young people are frustrated by people who refer to where they live as a children’s home. They clarify this by saying, ‘it’s just my home and we all call it home.’ This sense of belonging leads to a conscious decision by young people not to take part in risk taking behaviours.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Relatives and social workers provide consistently high praise about the impact of the care provided to young people. Comments from relatives include, ‘He's come a long way [since living here]’; ‘He is starting to become a young man,’ and ‘Every time we see him he comes on a little more. Being there has made him the person he has become.’

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Outcomes for children and young people

Like parents, social workers from placing authorities highlight that young people, ‘come on leaps and bounds’. In particular they highlight significant improvements in young people’s ability to manage their own behaviour as a result of living in this home. This leads to a substantial reduction in the number incidents reported to them. Young people who previously only spoke to social workers through the staff are now able to speak up for themselves. Social workers say that young people raise key questions about their care either face to face or in communications by e-mail. As a result young people are able to express that they feel their opinion counts.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people feel confident in expressing their own views and opinion. This enables them to be fundamentally involved in decision making processes that affect their lives. For example, young people contribute to processes that ensure their individual health needs are identified and met. When young people indicate that they wish to stop taking powerful prescribed medication, staff work with health professionals to achieve this in a safe and controlled way. Furthermore, young people’s agreement to undergo orthodontic treatment leads to promotion of their personal confidence and self-esteem.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people engage fully in the opportunities provided to expand their education. All benefit from full attendance at school or college despite previously struggling to cope with this. Genuine progress against national curriculum targets is evidenced alongside success in achieving recognised qualifications in core subjects. Young people feel valued as a result of a focus of attention upon their achievements rather than their difficulties. In this way young people are encouraged to do more and progress further. The achievements of young people are celebrated, through the display of awards in communal areas of the home and individual certificates in their bedrooms. Their own families are valued and respected through the display of photographs personally chosen by the young people themselves. This contributes to young people’s understanding of their personal identity and helps them to make sense of earlier life experiences.

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Outcomes for children and young people

The independence of young people is sensitively promoted in line with their individual needs and personal development. For example, young people develop confidence in using public transport to get to school or college. Those who previously required constant supervision now enjoy freedom to explore their local community within safe parameters. Placing social workers highlight that young people contribute to decisions about how their independence is managed, causing them to see themselves more positively. Young people also demonstrate an awareness of others through their involvement in and contribution to the wider community. Some help local neighbours with their gardening, but all take part in an annual sponsored cycle ride to raise money for a national charity.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Relatives and placing social workers describe an exceptionally positive approach to contact from staff and managers within the home. This ensures that young people are able to maintain or re-establish important relationships with their brothers, sisters and other relatives. In some cases staff work diligently in line with agreed plans to prepare young people to return to their families.

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is outstanding .

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Quality of care

Young people simply say, 'I love my home'. They are keen to emphasise that they genuinely view this as their home. Relatives compare it positively to other experiences of children’s homes, describing this home as ‘brilliant’. Social workers describe it as, ‘a home from home’.

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Quality of care

Young people benefit significantly from living in a high quality environment. They talk enthusiastically about their direct involvement in fundamentally changing the appearance and feel of their home. This was achieved through their active contribution to the design and the selection of furnishings as well as their practical involvement in the redecoration process. They are rightly proud of what they have achieved saying, ‘We’ve got a nice warm home to live in’, ‘it looks nice here’ and ‘I like living here, I like the new decoration.’

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Quality of care

The addition of a new kitchen diner provides a focal point used for socialising and not just for preparing and eating food. Staff refer to this as the heart of the home where young people and staff regularly gather, providing the opportunity to spend time together. Meal times are regularly followed by lengthy periods where young people talk and engage with staff and each other. Complex issues are addressed, reflecting an openness about their own individual backgrounds and experiences. Relatives also comment on what they see as young people’s freedom to express themselves, which they believe brings a sense of normality.

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Quality of care

Young people confirm that they get on well with each other and with the small, but consistent group of staff who care for them. They benefit from the continuity this brings to their lives. The Registered Manager says that bank staff available within the organisation are not used so that this continuity is maintained. He explained this using the analogy that if he was ill himself he would not ask a neighbour to come into his home to care for his own children. Young people recognise the positive impact staff have had on them. One said, ‘They have done a lot, there's no way to explain it.’ Relatives say that staff, ‘go that little bit extra’ and consider that through seeing young people progress, their minds are put at rest. Social workers say that young people thrive as a direct result of the care they receive. Relatives say of the staff team, ‘They have been the parent that I couldn’t be at the time’ and ‘we can’t

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Quality of care

Managers work extremely closely with all other professional agencies to ensure that young people receive the best and most appropriate service. For example, the health service for one young person’s placing authority praised the Registered Manager for bringing detailed notes to an annual health assessment. They also found the Registered Manager’s detailed knowledge of the young person extremely helpful in prompting discussion to ensure the young person’s needs were met. Young people are able to access therapeutic support as necessary. This helps them come to terms with past experiences. Furthermore, staff ensure that the educational needs of young people are properly identified and met. At times this is done through the provision of personal support over and above usual expectations to ensure that young people are able to attend education fully and achieve to the best of their ability. As a result barriers to education are removed and young people are able to access the

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Quality of care

necessary resources resulting in full attendance at school or college. Educational and extra-curricular achievements are widely recognised and celebrated in a way that encourages young people to be proud of the genuine progress they make.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The service is outstanding at keeping children and young people safe and feeling safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Managers and staff succeed in working within a balanced approach to risk. As a result young people are protected, but supported and encouraged to stretch themselves to grow through new experiences. Comprehensive documents clearly set out how risk is assessed and managed. However, young people are still able to enjoy freedoms within a safe context. For example, young people now benefit from limited independence in the community where they previously needed constant support.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Without exception young people communicate a strong feeling of safety brought about by their deep sense of belonging. They are comfortable with the established staff team and each other. Having lived together in the same home for several years, young people come to know each other well. This leads to demonstrations of respect and empathy. Bullying within the home is not seen as an issue for any of the young people, however they are confident to raise problems when they occur elsewhere. The resultant sense of well-being means that young people do not engage in risk taking behaviours. None of them smoke, take drugs or drink alcohol. No one has gone missing since before the last full inspection of this home. This represents a dramatic improvement for some young people. Despite this, all staff remain alert to the possibility that young people could run away and are fully aware of the actions they would need to take. The policy of the home and the organisation has been fully

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Safeguarding children and young people

ratified in a signed agreement with specialist local police officers.

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Safeguarding children and young people

All staff are trained in a recognised behaviour management approach. This includes appropriate techniques to restrain young people when necessary. Over time the number of restraints has significantly reduced. Since the last full inspection in September 2012 there have been six incidents of restraint. Only two of these have been within this calendar year and only one occurred within the six months preceding this inspection. This indicates that young people are able to manage their own behaviour with the support of staff. Staff themselves describe their approach to behaviour management saying, ‘We listen to them. The longer we spend with them the better’.

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Safeguarding children and young people

When new staff are recruited this is done using thorough and robust recruitment practices, supported by the organisation’s head office. This helps to ensure that inappropriate people are not given the opportunity to have contact with vulnerable young people. Detailed records setting out recruitment and vetting checks for all staff are stored at the head office a short distance away. Essential details are kept within the home. The quality of the records is consistently high, irrespective of how long staff have worked within the organisation. This indicates that young people have been protected through safe recruitment processes established over a prolonged period.

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Leadership and management

The leadership and management of the children's home are outstanding .

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Leadership and management

Young people benefit from being cared for by a stable and dependable group of staff. The home is overseen by an accomplished Registered Manager who has extensive knowledge and experience. He has been in post within this home for several years, providing consistent, strong and effective leadership to a dedicated and passionate staff team. Staff describe their manager as, ‘extremely supportive’ adding that, ‘Nothing is ever too much trouble.’ Staff also identify senior managers within the organisation as accessible and responsive when necessary.

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Leadership and management

All staff are qualified to the expected minimum standard or are in the final stages of completing their diploma. Many take their learning further to support them to meet the needs of the specific young people living in this home. Some staff undertake specialist courses to assist in caring for young people with learning difficulties while others complete their social work degree. All staff receive regular supervision of a very high standard. Annual appraisals of their performance include clear targets for their personal development and identify ways they can make individual contributions to the growth of the service.

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Leadership and management

The Registered Manager’s meticulous attention to detail helps to communicate continuing high expectations. In this way, staff are motivated to be extremely child focused. They recognise and celebrate the progress young people make and creatively use the relationships they have with the young people to stimulate further improvements.

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Leadership and management

Although the last two inspections have not resulted in any requirements or recommendations, the Registered Manager effectively utilises rigorous monitoring procedures to identify possible areas for improvement. Copies of monthly monitoring visits from an independent person are routinely submitted to Ofsted. These are comprehensive and provide detail and challenge when appropriate. Reviews of the quality of care are systematically undertaken every three months. Documents are focussed on the needs of young people and reflect a management style and a staff approach that drives constant improvement. Staff say, ‘We're always looking for ways to improve, but we respond and react to the young people. We see what they are telling us.’

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Leadership and management

Since the last inspection the Registered Manager has taken steps to improve individual work undertaken with young people. Records of these key-working sessions now include pictorial prompts to reflect the matters discussed. This helps those young people who struggle with reading to reflect on key messages from their individual sessions with staff. This is an excellent example of creative thinking and practice that improves young people's understanding. Attempts are being made to expand this approach to include other key documents. The Registered Manager recognises the challenge to maintain standards as well as to improve overall. He attends managers’ meetings to learn from others and to draw upon ideas that have worked elsewhere. In addition he shares good practice from this home, demonstrating that the parent company's intent to be a learning organisation.

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About this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the relevant regulations and meets the national minimum standards.

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About this inspection

The report details the main strengths, any areas for improvement, including any breaches of regulation, and any failure to meet national minimum standards. The judgements included in the report are made against the Inspections of children’s homes – framework for inspection and the evaluation schedule for the inspection of children's homes.

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