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

Inspection report children’s home: SC023740 1 SC023740 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 privately-owned children’s home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. In accordance with its statement of purpose, the home specifically accommodates boys.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted on 25 July 2018.

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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 good

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: 5 December 2018

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC023740 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/12/2018 Full Good 13/03/2018 Full Good 06/12/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 06/07/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC023740 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children respond positively to a team of adults who are strongly focused on their needs and vulnerabilities, and they make steady progress in all areas. The adults seize and make use of opportunities to speak with the children about things that are important to their progress and well-being. This contributes to the building of positive relationships and increases feelings of belonging and security for the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

For some children, these positive developments are undermined by the adults’ lack of attention and urgency in ensuring that their personal spaces are properly equipped and maintained. Further, that this is always done in a way that makes the child feel individually valued and special.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some children who experience great difficulty in speaking with professionals about the things that trouble them settle and build feelings of belonging and attachment. This builds confidence and enables them to engage in regular, planned sessions of support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The adults understand how important family is to the children, the crucial role of placing authorities, and the key role of teachers and therapists. The adults show respect to these partners and seek to work closely and cooperatively with them. This helps the plans for the children to be effective and improves the progress that they make. For some children, this joined-up working is very positive, and they return home to their families.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When things do not go to plan for some children and decisions are made for them to move on, the adults make considerable efforts to lessen how this might upset them and disrupt their lives. The adults find ways to make the ending positive for the children and help them to prepare for their next step.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A consistent approach by the adults helps the children to develop insight into behaviours that are slowing their progress. The children become more able to regulate their strong feelings and engage in their learning. The children express their views and opinions because they know that the adults listen and respond to what they say.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children have fun inside and outside the home. Activities are planned and spontaneous and geared to meet group as well as individual interests and abilities. This helps children to expand their experience of the world and build positive memories.

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

The adults maintain structure and routines in the home and are confident and consistent in applying boundaries and direction to the children. This contributes to Inspection report children’s home: SC023740 4 the children’s feelings of safety and security. One child said, ‘I don’t worry, they know what they are doing.’

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

The adults get as much information as possible about the needs, risks and vulnerabilities of each child before they move in and this understanding develops further over time. This ensures that plans that guide the adults to keep the children safe, and help them to become safer, are kept current and clear.

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

For some children, the expression of strong feelings in non-harmful ways is difficult and they struggle to understand how their actions can affect and upset others. Further, how their actions can place their permanence at risk by harmful, unplanned placement endings. Currently, the adults are not applying enough urgency and expertise in supporting such children to make the necessary progress.

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

Incidents of children going missing are rare and, when they do occur, are of short duration. This is because the response of adults is immediate and sustained until the child is located and their immediate safety assured.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is experienced and is well supported in her role by the wider organisation. She leads a cohesive and committed staff team and displays a good command over the day-to-day running of the home and the needs, risks and progress of each child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

During this inspection period, due to a diminished staff team, the registered manager has been required to work excessively in a primary care role, to the extent that she has not been able to adequately focus on wider leadership activities, particularly those related to monitoring, understanding and responding to key trends and issues in the home. This has been both in relation to short-term issues as well as longer-term issues normally addressed through quality of care reviews. This has resulted in a lack of effective action to address concerning patterns of behaviour by some children that are impeding their progress and putting their placements at risk.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staffing levels have recently been increased and the registered manager reports that she will be able resume full focus on her managerial roles and responsibilities within weeks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Strengths of the home during this inspection period include maintaining close and cooperative working relationships with external partners, good internal communication through regular, child-focused team meetings, and regular staff supervision. Inspection report children’s home: SC023740 5

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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.

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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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on— research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(f)(g)(i)(h)) In particular, that the registered person uses these

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Requirement Due date

approaches to understand and address patterns of behaviour that undermine the stability of placements and children’s well-being. 05 June 2020

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who— understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; ensure that staff— understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; protect and promote each child’s welfare; 05 June 2020 Inspection report children’s home: SC023740 6 treat each child with dignity and respect; provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background; help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect; provide to children living in the home the physical necessities

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Requirement Due date

they need in order to live there comfortably; provide to children personal items that are appropriate for their age and understanding. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vii)(viii)) The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on— mutual respect and trust; an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and positive responses to other children and adults. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans; help each child to develop socially aware behaviour; encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding; help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding; strive to gain each child’s respect and trust; understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children; are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same; de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(viii)(ix)(x)(xi)) 05 June 2020 Inspection report children’s home: SC023740 7

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Recommendations

 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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Recommendations

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: SC023740 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: 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: SC023740 9 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

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