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

Unique reference number SC023740 Inspector Melissa McMillan Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Ethelbert Specialist Homes Limited Registered person address Cheesemans Farmhouse Alland Grange Lane, Manston Ramsgate Kent CT12 5BZ Responsible individual Leslie Peter Davenport Registered manager Brian Shaw Date of last inspection 30/12/2014 2 of 5 Inspection date 17/03/2015

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Previous inspection outstanding Enforcement action since last inspection none

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This inspection

This home was judged outstanding at the last full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has sustained effectiveness .

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This inspection

Young people are able to develop their daily living and self-care skills. Staff support young people to develop their budgeting skills, to use public transport independently and to go out shopping on their own. Young people are encouraged to be as independent as possible and are able to prepare their own meals and carry out chores around the home. This enables young people to take on more responsibility and develop their confidence in preparation for adult life. Staff support young people to share their views and wishes about their future and provide good support and guidance about the emotional impact of moving on. Young people take part in a variety of activities including learning to play the guitar, judo and football. Young people are also encouraged to carryout volunteering work in the community. These experiences provide young people with opportunities to widen their social circle, boost their confidence and gain a sense of achievement.

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This inspection

Young people are able to maintain and improve relationships with their families where appropriate and staff facilitate contact. This ensures young people are able to maintain contact with people they consider important to them, promoting their sense of belonging and personal identities. Relatives of young people are made to feel welcome in the home and this has enabled staff to form positive relationships with parents.

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This inspection

Staff liaise closely with other professionals including social workers and Child and Adolescent Mental Health teams to ensure young people receive effective support to address their developmental needs.

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This inspection

Care plans, risk assessments and behavioural support plans provide comprehensive information about the needs and circumstances of each individual child. As a result, staff are able to provide effective support to reassure young people when their anxieties are raised. Young people have opportunities to express their views wishes 3 of 5 and feelings in a safe way. Staff successfully use their communications skills to de- escalate incidents where young people may display harmful behaviour; this is evident in the low number of physical interventions and sanctions since the previous inspection. The Registered Manager has good oversight of the restraint and sanctions logs and staff record incidents in line with regulations.

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This inspection

Some young people are not receiving support to achieve their educational or training goals. Although staff are actively working with all the relevant services to obtain the necessary education for all young people, some do not have access to or are not engaging in an educational placement. This means that they do not benefit fully from the opportunities made available to them. Young people who are not in full time education have no formal structure to their day. This may result in them finding it difficult to resume education in the future.

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This inspection

The Registered Manager has not taken action to meet the recommendation raised in the previous inspection. As a result, the young person’s guide has not yet been updated to make it user friendly and does not include the independent visitor details. Staff have also not undertaken additional training recommended at the previous inspection to ensure they are up to date with the best guidance on managing risks when accessing social media. The Registered Manager is aware of these shortfalls and is taking action to address them. 4 of 5

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children's home is registered for up to three children or young people who may have emotional and behavioural difficulties. Children or young people living in the home are able to access education through separately registered provision which is managed by the same organisation. Therapy or counselling is also available if this is appropriate.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/12/2014 Full outstanding 27/02/2014 Interim good progress 26/09/2013 Full outstanding 27/03/2013 Interim good progress

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

 ensure that children who have access to appropriate education and training, so that they are supported and enabled to resume full time education. (NMS 8.8) Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Recommendations

This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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What inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspections we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the Inspection of children’s homes: framework for inspection.

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Information 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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Information 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 framework of inspection for children's homes.

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