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

Inspection report children’s home: SC068803 1 SC068803 Registered provider: Ethelbert Specialist Homes Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home offers care for children who have mild to moderate learning difficulties and complex emotional needs. It is one of several homes run by a private organisation that also operates a separately registered school that children may attend.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2019.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC068803 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/03/2019 Full Good 01/11/2017 Full Good 31/01/2017 Full Good 08/11/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC068803 3

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outstanding

The children settle and feel secure in the warm, accepting and stable environment provided by adults who care about them and are consistent, nurturing and reliable. The children learn to trust and respect the adults who look after them and develop feelings of belonging and attachment. This experience provides them with a firm foundation that enables them to engage in their education and build aspirations for the future.

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outstanding

Staff carefully support children, some of whom were previously unable to cope in the classroom environment, to re-engage in full-time education. Some successfully join mainstream education and others develop vocational direction through work experience and offers of apprenticeships. The adults and children celebrate their achievements.

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outstanding

The stability that the children experience also provides them with confidence to venture out and explore their interests and abilities and expand their understanding and experience of the world. They become emboldened to explore and reflect on difficulties from the past that might be holding them back.

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outstanding

Staff actively support the children to build the skills that enable them to become increasingly self-sufficient and to take responsibility for their own good health and well-being and to overcome chronic conditions. They make steady and meaningful progress in these areas.

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outstanding

Ambitious plans become achievable because of the mutual trust and respect between the children and adults, and the progress that the children make in their social and emotional development. The children enjoyed a highly successful summer house holiday abroad; the first for this organisation. This is a reflection of the commitment of staff and managers to ensure that the children have good experiences and make positive memories.

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outstanding

The adults are deeply committed to making sure that the children get the best from the time they spend with their families. They do this in close cooperation with placing authorities and with children’s families, with great care and sensitivity. The staff freely make and manage long-distance visit arrangements to ensure that the children benefit from these experiences. This helps the children to feel trusting of adults, more settled in the home and connected with their families.

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outstanding

The overall experience of the children is highly positive and makes them feel valued and secure, and their progress is exceptional. Inspection report children’s home: SC068803 4

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outstanding

The children say that they feel safe and secure in the home and they show trust and confidence in the adults who care for them. The adults attune closely to the moods and feelings of the children and know them well. This helps the adults to anticipate when the children’s vulnerabilities may place them at risk, and to take appropriate action to keep them safe.

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outstanding

The adults support the children to understand and express strong feelings in non- harmful ways. They teach children about hazards and risks in the home, community, and in their online activities, and support them to take developmentally appropriate risks. The children become more confident, safer and more able to keep themselves safe.

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outstanding

Incidents when the children are at risk of harm are rare. The adults are, however, skilled and knowledgeable in dealing with these potential risks quickly, and they know and follow the correct procedures.

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outstanding

A positive safeguarding culture is actively supported through strongly child-focused staff meetings and is embedded in individual supervision sessions. The standard of safer recruitment is exemplary, and staff keep the home environment safe from known as well as unexpected hazards through a high standard of health and safety practice, including fire safety.

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outstanding

The children’s sense of belonging and attachment, and the positive relationships they enjoy with the adults, contributes significantly to their safety, protection and sense of security.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager demonstrates commanding leadership of the home through a wide range of effective management practice. He inspires a dedicated staff team to deliver a high standard of care and has succeeded in embedding strong practice in key areas, such as supporting best possible educational attainment, key working, engendering positive family relationships and staff supervision.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staffing levels are good and the staff team maintains good continuity of care of the children when there is unforeseen staff absence. Rota planning is thorough and careful, and the manager makes strong efforts to ensure that staff remain fresh and focused on their duties. No use is made of agency staff or of staff who are not permanently assigned to the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Standards of recording are high and reflect the staff’s close attention to detail and clear thinking about plans and targets for the children. Leaders and managers are acutely aware of the progress each child makes and speak authoritatively about their achievements. There is an established culture in which the children and staff Inspection report children’s home: SC068803 5 regard planned key working as a normal and necessary activity and the children engage with this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Placing authorities speak highly of the standard of care their children receive and the progress they make. One local authority social worker was unable to say where the home could improve further and was particularly positive about the high standards of communication and joint working between the home and all agencies. The manager is not, however, making best possible use of the regulation 45 review to understand better the strengths of the home and to target areas for improvement effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff supervision has become accepted and appreciated as a normal, regular, and an essential part of practice. In general, this is of high quality, well recorded and contributes significantly to the ongoing stability of the home and focus on the children who live there.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The strong leadership of the home, the confident, committed and cohesive staff team and the high standards of practice contribute significantly to the warm and settled environment in which the children are flourishing. Inspection report children’s home: SC068803 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person is responsible for deciding what each (regulation 45) review should focus on, based on the specific circumstances of the home at that particular time and any areas of high risk to the children that the home is designed to care for, such as missing or exploitation. They will also consider what information or data recorded in the home will form part of the evidence base for their analysis and conclusions. There is no expectation that the registered person will review the home against every part of the Quality Standards every six months – registered persons should use their professional judgement to decide which factors to focus on. The review should enable the registered person to identify areas of strength and possible weakness in the home’s care, which will be captured in the written report. The report should clearly identify any actions required for the next 6 months of delivery within the home and how those actions

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Recommendation

will be addressed. The whole review process and the resulting report should be used as a tool for continuous improvement in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.4)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, 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: SC068803 7

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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: 17 Leigh Road, Ramsgate, Kent CT12 5EU

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Leslie Davenport

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Inspector:

John Pledger, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC068803 8 to 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector:

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Inspector:

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Inspector:

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

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