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

Good

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The Registered Manager is highly visible to the staff team. His own direct work with the young people effectively shapes and guides new staff. He is an excellent role model.   Young people understand why they are living at the home. Staff take time to explain things and use appropriate language. Boundaries and expectations are explicitly clear. This provides young people with reliable adults who give consistent messages.   Over time, young people learn to appreciate and accept the support and guidance they receive. They are given the room and time they need to develop and mature.   Young people are forgiven for making mistakes. They are enabled to move on and learn valuable life lessons.   Staff demonstrate their commitment to young people through their actions. In times of staffing shortages and challenging circumstances, the same regular faces are seen by the young people. This element makes this house

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, 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 with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard, with particular regard to the development of risk management systems, the registered person must:

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Requirement Due date

(2)(b) ensure that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. 30/10/2015

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it (Regulation 16(3)(a). 30/10/2015

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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

Actively seek independent scrutiny of the home and make best use of information from independent and internal monitoring (including under regulations 44 and 45) to ensure continuous improvement. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 55, paragraph 10.24)

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Information about this children's home

The home is owned by a private organisation. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

17/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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good

Young people experience warm and loving relationships within a homely and welcoming environment. This attention to detail has a profound effect upon very new young people. Staff members fully appreciate the enormity of joining a residential provision for the first time. They say, ‘right now, it’s about settling in and getting to know us. Just feeling comfortable and not scared.’ Duty rosters and shift plans reflect consistent staffing. Young people quickly understand the home and their own plan of care. One young person says, ‘I really like it here, there’s a lot to do and I really like going out with the staff.’

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good

Effective communication with placing authorities provides clarity for new young people. The decision to provide a current temporary placement is based upon an accurate compatibility assessment and explicitly clear care plan. The young person understands why they are here. They are investing in the placement and enjoying their experience. Staff members are diligently collating relevant information and sharing this with the next home in order to provide the young person with a seamless transition.

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good

Previously placed young people have benefitted from stable, long-term placements, making excellent progress in terms of their emotional and educational growth and development. Some young people have exceeded expectations in terms of learning independence skills and obtaining qualifications, once considered by others as beyond their reach. This enabling staff team has high aspirations and appropriately pushes young people to succeed.

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good

The quality of key worker arrangements is a particular strength. Such staff members embrace this role with enthusiasm and a deep respect of the responsibility it brings. As a result, staff members have detailed knowledge of the individual young person across their emotional, health and educational needs. Young people are highly valued and very well understood.

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good

For some young people, their journey into adulthood has been challenging. Throughout such times of succumbing to peer pressure and making poor choices, staff have increased the level of individual key working. They have sought external professional input, such as child mental health services and reviewed individual reward systems in an effort to re-engage individuals. Ultimately, the home’s rare decision to end a placement is based upon well founded and reasoned decisions, in the young person’s best interests. Judgement grade

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good

An accumulation of missing episodes placed one young person at significant risk of harm. Detailed records show the tenacious approach of staff in their attempts to locate and encourage the young person’s return. Furthermore, they identified clear push and pull factors which were beyond their control. Following the ending of the placement, the Registered Manager is further reviewing these incidents to critically analyse and further develop the staff and others’ safeguarding practices. Clearer expectations of how the home holds partner agencies to account in working together to safeguard young people are being developed.

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good

Routine practice includes the home’s completion of the local authority’s risk assessment for child sexual exploitation. This work complements the home’s own location risk assessment, resulting in a good level of understanding as to how and why new referrals are considered. Individual risk assessments and 24 hour management plans provide staff with immediate and essential guidance on how to work with young people. Some of these documents focus too heavily upon the identified risks and less so about the preventive measures for staff to implement. This is a reactive approach; more concerned with risk assessment than risk management.

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good

The use of physical intervention is extremely rare, as is the use of approved and appropriate sanctions. Young people understand the rules and expectations of their home because staff members engage in meaningful dialogue, good role modelling and active listening. Thus, no complaints have been received from young people or third parties since the last inspection.

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good

Robust recruitment practices protect young people from unsuitable adults. Visitors are supervised. Staff members openly monitor each other’s’ practices. This creates a culture of peer accountability which promotes the welfare and safety of the young people.

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good

Good quality furnishings and equipment are complemented by regular health and safety checks. This homely environment ensures the promotion of safety and appropriate security.

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leaders and managers

The Registered Manager has over 25 years’ residential child care experience and has been registered with Ofsted since 2007. Already suitably qualified, he continues to expand upon his knowledge and skills; currently undertaking the Level 5 Diploma i n Leadersh i p for Hea l th & Soc i a l Care, Ch il dren & Young Peop l e.

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leaders and managers

His high expectations of his, and the team’s practice, maintains a culture of striving for excellence. One staff member explains, ‘every staff meeting and each supervision is all about the young people and are we doing the absolute best we can.’ Peer support and critical self-evaluation drives this team to aim for excellence. Records of team meetings and individual supervisions capture a culture of reflective practice. Staff ask questions, build upon their expertise and maintain a hunger for continued learning.

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leaders and managers

Recent examples of critical analysis include two placement endings. Staff members have challenged their individual and collective performance; striving to learn from these experiences. Consequently, additional specific training has been requested such as supporting young people with transitions. A team review of the statement of purpose is also underway. The Registered Manager says, ‘we had a long period of stability and now those young people have moved on, we need to reflect, look at what we’re best at and take the home forward.’

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leaders and managers

Well thought-out succession planning fits neatly into the Registered Manager’s wider development plans. His rigorous use of poor performance systems and rewarding good practice, results in changes to the staff team. New staff are being recruited. Existing staff and the use of a regular bank worker covers gaps in the duty roster. This promotes consistency for young people. Some of the longer standing staff members are working to clear career development plans, actively seeking promotion opportunities. A staff member say, ‘My work pattern has been adjusted for me and this makes me want to be flexible in return.’ ‘I want to progress within the company, but I want it to be in this house because we all work so well together.’

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leaders and managers

External monitoring visit reports lose impact by covering such a wide range of headings. Consequently, core areas of strengths and weaknesses do not receive sufficient rigour or evaluation. The value and impact of external scrutiny is weakened. Senior managers recognise this shortfall and a review of this process is already underway.

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leaders and managers

Good partnership working arrangements promote an ethos of working together. The home’s actions are clear. Examples include timely referrals to instigate risk management meetings with the police combined with a tenacious approach in chasing placing authorities for details and decisions. One Social Worker states, ‘they did everything possible to make this young person safe and they are continuing to do so, even though this young person has moved on.’

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children's home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children's home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children's home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place, however, the children's home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children's home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This 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 Children's

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Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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