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

Inspection report children‟s home: SC065517 1 SC065517 Registered provider: Ethelbert Specialist Homes Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and run by a private organisation. It provides care and accommodation for up to six children. Children have access to the organisation‟s schools and to varied local activities and amenities, including the beach.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in May 2018.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 26 to 27 February 2019

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children‟s home: SC065517 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/03/2018 Full Good 19/09/2017 Interim Not judged 07/02/2017 Interim Not judged 28/09/2016 Interim Not judged Inspection report children‟s home: SC065517 3

p.2

Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet 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 within the given timescales.

p.3

Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children‟s home that— helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

p.3

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (2)(h))

p.3

Requirement Due date

Specifically, monitoring the content and quality of records, including oversight from others in the management team, where necessary. 19/04/2019

p.3

Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children‟s home a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1. (Regulation 16 (1))

p.3

Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensuring that the detail in the document is not contradictory. 19/04/2019

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress while living in the home as a result of warm and nurturing relationships with staff. The culture is in keeping with a family home in which children are allowed to express themselves, for example through healthy sibling rivalry, learning how to live with others and sharing adult attention. Children are confident and develop a positive sense of who they are, while being able to act out their anxieties and process their history in a contained environment.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children‟s voice is evident in their plans and care in the home. The manager is Inspection report children‟s home: SC065517 4 considering other ways to evidence that children are aware of plans and other records rather than having them sign them, which could be deemed institutional. Children engage well in group meetings and use these as a way to share how they are feeling, but also to decide activities, plan meals and share their views and ideas. Individual discussions with staff are well recorded, and responses to any issues are clear.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children attend the organisation‟s school and benefit from bespoke programmes to meet their social and educational needs. The home has been particularly sensitive to one child‟s barrier to attending school. Staff have been particularly supportive of her needs, and along with education staff have soothed her anxieties and helped her settle and increase in confidence at school. In addition to full education timetables, children learn social and creative skills through attending clubs and activities in the community, including roller disco, horse riding and drama. Children are genuinely part of the local community, and neighbours have welcomed the children as they would any other family in the street. Children spend time with their friends in the company of staff and go to local attractions in the community.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children‟s emotional well-being is central to their care in the home. In addition to having access to child and adolescent mental health services, children are assessed and then access individual therapy, including drama and music therapy. Staff understand the role of imaginative play for children in acting out their emotions. They ensure that children feel safe in doing so, and that such play is reported to the child‟s therapist. Two of the girls have specific responsibility to look after the house hamster, developing their caring and nurturing skills.

p.4

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

Children‟s actions and demeanour show that they feel safe in the home. Children were seen seeking staff to talk to about their day, with staff recognising what was concerning them and giving the children time to work through their concerns. Staff have a good understanding of the children‟s vulnerabilities and identify if there are any changes in behaviour that may identify something that is worrying or troubling a child.

p.4

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

Staff are aware of the home‟s safeguarding and child protection processes. Concerns are swiftly reported to partner agencies. One safeguarding record did not detail all actions taken. However, appropriate action was taken in a timely manner.

p.4

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

All children have clear plans to support them in times of anger or distress. Staff are clear about the need to respond consistently, which children are responding well to. Patterns of behaviour are reviewed and children are supported to understand what their triggers or thought processes may be. However, this is not particularly evident in the manager‟s assessment and evaluation. Records of sanctions and physical interventions are clear, although when the registered manager or area manager has imposed the measure, it is not reviewed and signed off by another member of the management team.

p.4

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

Children are protected from avoidable hazards through regular checks of the home and Inspection report children‟s home: SC065517 5 environment, including the fire alarm and fire-fighting equipment. The home is well maintained, and children have chosen how they would like their rooms decorated. Safer recruitment is followed, with a focus on former employment and applicants‟ reasons for leaving.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has an excellent understanding of the home and the children‟s needs. He has been on shift supporting staff for most of the last year, to ensure that care practice is consistent and in the children‟s best interests. There has been a complete change in staff since the last inspection. This has had a level of impact on children, as some staff left without warning. However, the home and the external management team have worked hard to provide consistency for the children.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say they are very well supported by the registered manager and can approach him with any questions or ideas. Staff are confident in their roles, despite most only having been in post for a few months. They have experience in similar care roles and say they have had „excellent‟ training. They find supervision to be informative and challenging and have regular meetings with the manager.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The statement of purpose accurately reflects the approach to care provided in the home. However, some aspects are not clear, such as the gender of children who can be placed and the facilities in the home. The registered manager has oversight of all children‟s plans and records; however, not all plans and discussions with children are dated, making it difficult at times to monitor progress made. The manager acknowledged that gaps noted in records are as a result of him spending more time on shift supporting children and staff during the time of staff change and instability.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has strong links with partner agencies to ensure that children‟s needs are well met. Social workers comment positively about the home and the progress children make. The manager ensures that partner agencies are fully informed of any change in children‟s presentation or needs, and seeks to gain the appropriate support at these times. If he is concerned that a child is not getting the service they require, he will actively challenge this. Inspection report children‟s home: SC065517 6

p.5

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.

p.6

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: SC065517 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Ethelbert Specialist Homes Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 17 Leigh Road, Ramsgate, Kent CT12 5EU

p.7

Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Leslie Davenport

p.7

Inspector

Jennie Christopher, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC065517 8 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.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, 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 http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

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

p.8

Inspector

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

p.8