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

Inspection report children’s home: SC066185 1 SC066185 Registered provider: Ethelbert Specialist Homes Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and run by a private organisation. It provides care and accommodation for up to five children and young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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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 outstanding

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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: Sustained effectiveness

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people make excellent progress while living in the home. Staff ensure that they are well cared for in a nurturing environment, where they feel safe Inspection report children’s home: SC066185 2 and secure. Young people have strong bonds with those who care for them and enjoy being in their company.  Young people are listened to, and their views are sought on all aspects of their lives and how they are cared for.  Young people attend education as programmed, and are successful in their studies. Staff liaise extremely effectively with education, and they have strong links with schools, colleges and the virtual school.  Young people’s actions and demeanour show that they feel safe in the house. Those who have been at significant risk of harm in the past are now able to use new strategies to keep themselves safer and disengage from relationships that could be damaging.  Staff have an excellent understanding of the young people whom they care for.

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Key findings from this inspection

Plans are clear and planning is exceptional.

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Key findings from this inspection

The children’s home’s areas for development:

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff listen effectively to young people’s views and wishes, and act upon them when able. However, no evidence was available to show that feedback was being given routinely.  The bathroom décor in the home is dated and shows signs of wear and tear.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 20/06/2016 Full Good 08/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 29/06/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC066185 3

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Recommendations

 For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’ page 15, paragraph 3.9) In particular the home should be maintained to a standard expected in a family home.

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Recommendations

 The reasons for reaching any decision will need to be carefully explained to and understood by the child or children concerned. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.9) In particular, managers should introduce a system which records how young people’s views and ideas are considered and the response decided. This also includes when young people make a request that is unrealistic or against their best interests.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people have excellent relationships with staff, who provide a warm, nurturing environment. Young people thrive as a result of feeling secure with the adults who care for them. Young people clearly see the home as theirs and are comfortable in their surroundings. A social worker commented, regarding their young person placed, ‘Most of the success she has made can be attributed to the home and staff, who are incredibly patient.’ An independent reviewing officer (IRO) said that another young person has ‘made such good progress’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff spend time making sure that they hear and understand young people’s wishes and views. Young people are actively encouraged to attend and participate in their statutory reviews, and social workers noted that they had seen an impressive improvement in young people’s ability to stay in these meetings and contribute to them. Reports are produced with young people held central, including photographs of activities and experiences that they have enjoyed. In addition, young people can share their views in house meetings, key-work sessions and as they think of something. Staff respond appropriately and do all that they can to action their requests when it is in the young people’s best interests to do so. However, there is a lack of evidence of the process followed when a request is made, especially when it cannot be acted on. House meetings are used effectively to not only gain views on activities and meal choices, for

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

example, but also to work through any tensions or disagreements within the group. This leads to an open and honest feeling in the home. Inspection report children’s home: SC066185 4 All young people placed prior to the summer school holidays are engaged in education, training or employment. Some have recently completed GCSE examinations, while others are moving on to secondary school. Staff are preparing young people well for these moves, and key-work meetings and planned discussions for the coming weeks anticipate the anxiety that this change may cause for individuals. Staff are liaising with the virtual school to source an education placement for a young person who has recently moved into the home. The registered manager has strong links with local schools and is assisting the virtual school in deciding what would be an appropriate placement to meet the young person’s learning needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are engaged in a wide range of socially and emotionally stimulating activities in addition to formal learning. Two older young people had just returned from a weekend away at a theme park, which both were very enthusiastic about.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are supported to develop their independence skills in line with age and abilities. This includes developing friendships and relationships, personal care and cooking. Young people who are approaching adulthood are supported with skills for living in the community, including budgeting and how to pay bills. Where it is felt that a young person is not ready to move on to independent living, the staff advocate for them. This was successful in one case, and some staff members are supporting a young person for another six months, to ensure that they have suitable skills. Staff are also supporting and advocating for a young person who is ready to, and wants to, move to independence, despite their placing authority suggesting that they need to remain at the home for a much longer period.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are supported to understand healthy lifestyles and what this means for them. Their health needs are well met by staff, and all young people attend regular appointments in addition to those for particular health conditions. There are strong links with the child looked after nurse, sexual health and substance misuse teams, should they be required. There is extremely strong joint working with the organisation’s range of therapists, who provide emotional well-being support for young people, and attend meetings for staff to understand more effectively young people’s needs and what their actions are expressing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people who are new to the home are introduced over a time frame and in a manner which meets their needs, and, wherever possible, parents are engaged in the transition process. A young person who recently moved in said that she was made welcome by the other young people and staff, and really likes her new home. Those young people who are moving on are equally supported, including through outreach work.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are held central to all practice, and the home is organised and run with their needs in mind. They are treated with dignity and respect at all times, and their individual needs are considered to ensure that they are part of the group. Young people are assisted to remain in contact with their family and significant people in their lives. Social workers commented that the staff will always facilitate contact, often over long Inspection report children’s home: SC066185 5 distances.

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

Young people’s actions and demeanour demonstrate that they feel safe in the home. They could all identify staff members whom they would go to if they were worried or upset. Staff have an excellent understanding of each young person’s vulnerabilities and do all they can to protect them from harm. Staff are confident of their responsibility to protect young people and are able to transfer the knowledge gained in training into daily practice. They are proactive in their response to any safeguarding or child protection concerns, including those via social media. Joint working with partner agencies is robust, with all incidents reported as necessary, and any actions comprehensively implemented.

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

Young people who come to the home with a history of being at risk through offending, exploitation or being missing are supported effectively to understand the risks that they are taking and how to break free from the cycle of negative people in the community. An IRO stated that staff have supported a young person ‘to recognise risky behaviour’. There are strong links with partner agencies to protect young people and, when appropriate, disrupt criminal and abusive activity in the community. Staff are diligent in their responses to young people being missing, including following young people for several hours while keeping the police updated as to their location and also that of other young people who were vulnerable, but not in their direct care. In this particular instance, staff also liaised with another children’s home in the county to safely return a child and liaised with a social worker for two other young people who live in the

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

Risk assessments are clear and allow young people to take age-appropriate risks. The assessments are thoughtful in their detail and consider why the young person is at risk and how to support them effectively. They link well to in-house care plans. In addition, the registered manager completes monthly impact assessments, focusing on what could be an issue in the coming month for each young person, such as starting a new school, family contact or anniversaries. These are also linked to key-work sessions for the month to provide the level of support that the young person will need.

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

Young people do not identify bullying as a current issue, and were positive about staff members’ response to bullying incidents in the past. They spoke about house meetings where bullying is named and where they work through it as a group and learn to understand how their behaviour may impact on others. Additionally, young people learn to accept each other and understand why some names and terms are derogatory and inappropriate.

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

Staff work effectively as a team to ensure that boundaries are consistent and that young people understand what is expected of them. Sanctions are fair and proportionate and focus on learning from behaviour and making the situation right. Joint working with therapists aids staff in understanding what a young person’s behaviour may be Inspection report children’s home: SC066185 6 expressing. An IRO said that staff ‘understand complex behaviours and show sensitivity in confronting behaviour’. Restraint is rarely used, and only as a last option if de- escalation has been unsuccessful. Young people and staff benefit from full debriefs and plans are updated in response, with young people’s input on how to support them best in the future.

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

Safer recruitment practice is followed when employing new staff. Young people are protected from avoidable risk through regular checks of the building and fire safety equipment. Bathrooms require some attention because they are dated, and there is mould and mildew in the grout and sealant.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home is well run by a registered manager who is constantly striving to improve the quality of care and outcomes for young people. The staff team members are committed to the home and have aspirations for those they care for. There are currently no vacancies, but young people are involved in the recruitment process and their views are genuinely considered when appointing new staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff said that they feel well supported by the senior management team and can approach them at any time with ideas or concerns. Staff have the chance to undertake training in addition to mandatory skills and subjects. They feel that supervision is a productive and supportive experience. If someone is not performing well, staff members are able to raise this and it is appropriately challenged.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The quality of care is carefully monitored through the manager’s weekly checks, which feed into the monthly reports and quarterly evaluations. Additionally, the manager welcomes the feedback from the independent visitor, and acts on any recommendations made. The registered manager finds this relationship particularly supportive and said that it aids her development. An incredibly detailed and robust development plan is in place, identifying the areas for improvement, who is responsible and the date by which it is to be completed. Progress updates are also included in the plan.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager and staff team regularly review young people’s plans and the progress that they have made, including the small successes, ensuring that they remain relevant and are stretching the young person to progress. When there are concerns regarding an individual’s progress or needs, these are raised with the placing authority, and professionals meetings are requested. These have been extremely successful in identifying ways to overcome some barriers for young people, or to recognise that it is not the best placement to meet the young person’s needs. Professionals consistently commented that their views are sought and that joint working is effective. They are always kept up to date with young people’s progress and potential issues are identified early.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Care is provided in line with that detailed in the statement of purpose. Staff understand their roles in ensuring that the aims and ethos are promoted at all times and that young Inspection report children’s home: SC066185 7 people receive the best quality care. Young people’s records are clear and provide a positive picture for young people to understand how far they have come, including their contributions to any reports completed.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the differences made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and 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.

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Information about this inspection

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 children’s home: SC066185 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Ethelbert Specialist Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Cheeseman’s Farmhouse, Alland Grange Lane, Manston, Ramsgate CT12 5BZ

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Leslie Davenport

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Inspector

Jennie Christopher, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC066185 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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