Children's home run by Ethelbert Specialist Homes Limited in Thanet

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the full inspection. At this interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has sustained effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager has met the requirement set at the last inspection. Foodstuffs are now labelled with a use-by date by staff and the young people in the home once they have been opened. The home also defrosts the freezer as required and ensures that food is thrown out once it has become unusable. This now safeguards young people’s health.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home has also met the one recommendation set at the last visit, regarding recruitment practices by the organisation. The position on the previous staff application which had included an unverified voluntary position has been rectified. Additionally, new staff recruitment records include efforts to seek references and verifications from several voluntary positions. The manager continues to involve young people in staff recruitment, which reinforces their sense of responsibility and ownership of their home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager carefully considers admissions to the home to ensure that the young people’s needs can be met fully and that new admissions are compatible with the existing group. The welcome book has been completely revamped and is now a visual and engaging guide to the home. The young people’s comments are included in the booklet and include: ‘the best part is the staff; they are all so lovely and kind… I never want to leave here’, ‘we are like a little family’ and ‘if you come… you will love it’. Transition planning, both for new residents and young people leaving the home, is well managed to ensure that young people experience positive placement moves. Since the last inspection, one child was enabled to move on to a planned foster family. The home facilitated a fantastic transition in line with the child’s wishes, involving activities together, overnight stays and ‘please allow me to introduce myself’ books and photos. A party to celebrate the child’s move was

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

attended by current staff and also by staff who had left the home. This child stated ‘I am excited to go but at the same time I want to stay, as I feel loved and secure’.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff provide young people with good-quality, individualised care. Staff are genuinely interested in the young people’s lives and experiences and therefore they develop useful relationships. Staff engage closely with the young people and show appropriate levels of affection and concern for them. The manager also has effective relationships with the young people, observed on the inspection visit. One independent reviewing officer stated:

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The care offered to my child is far better than good – it’s exemplary and probably the best that I’ve ever encountered. She is absolutely in the right place to have her needs responded to very well. Going above and beyond seems to be almost routine.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

One social worker stated, ‘My young person won’t realise this until she’s much older but she couldn’t possibly be in better hands’ and ‘It’s been the making of her. She had her first flash of self insight which is amazing and I’ve never seen this before.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Education outcomes are very good. All young people engage and make progress in reaching educational goals, despite previously having been out of school or having had extremely low attendance. Staff have been successful at supporting young people through the transition to a vocational college course. This change for one young person was especially challenging and at this time there was an increase in the young person going missing. A bespoke package of support was put in place, including staff being alongside the young person during the whole day at college. This resulted in a continuation of the college course, as well as a significant reduction in missing episodes.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

All staff receive training in safeguarding young people and are knowledgeable about how to apply this in practice. One young person is currently at high risk of sexual exploitation and had disengaged from the home. She has also had a recent increase in episodes of going missing. However, over the last few days she had started to re-engage with the home and she is receiving the appropriate support. Risk assessment and management plans have been updated. However, some processes have not been undertaken in line with the home’s toolkit, such as holding and recording meetings. Various documents, such as unsupervised-time risk assessments, hold partial information. Some peer mapping, a sexual- exploitation risk assessment, an impact risk assessment and records of key-working which include the completion of online training packages with the young person also exist. A complete written plan agreed with the placing authority which pulls

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

these together and covers next steps needs to be drawn up.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff have a sound knowledge of how to respond to high-risk behaviours when and how to share of information or disclosures to keep young people safe and ensure that appropriate support is provided. The staff also provide assistance to help the young people to understand how to keep themselves safe while using social media.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager comprehensively monitors the quality of the care that young people receive and is quick to identify where improvement is necessary. She prioritises developmental issues for the home, using internal audits as well as external views such as previous inspections and the independent visitor reports.

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home provides care for up to five children who have emotional and/or behavioural needs. It is run by a private organisation.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 20/06/2016 Full Good 08/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 29/06/2015 Full Good 19/03/2015 Interim Declined in effectiveness

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Recommendation

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation:  Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. When there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps that the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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What the inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspection 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

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 that 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. Whenever 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 whom it is trying to help, protect and look after. This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

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 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 0300 123 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, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for children looked after 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

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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Information about this inspection

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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