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 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 for up to five children with social and emotional difficulties. The manager was registered with Ofsted in December 2019.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 10 February 2021 to carry out a monitoring visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC066185 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/05/2019 Full Good 11/12/2018 Full Good 15/08/2017 Full Good 08/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC066185 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children experience well-planned care from staff who are committed to building and to maintaining positive relationships with them. This makes children feel secure and cared for, which enables them to make good progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Proactive steps are taken to involve children’s families in care planning. During the inspection, the registered manager contacted the parent of a child who had recently moved into the home. Much of the discussion focused on the child’s cultural needs. The registered manager explained that having this level of detail would enable the staff to support the child to explore their identity at a pace they were comfortable with. A family member of another child spoke very positively to the inspector about being able to contribute to decisions about how the child is cared for now and to plans for their future. Continuity of care is promoted by working in partnership with people who are important to children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The progress children make in relation to their social and emotional well-being improves their life chances. However, this progress is not routinely documented in records of achievement created for children. As a result, there are missed opportunities for celebrating success.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The environment is nurturing, safe and homely. Managers have recognised that in some areas of the home the decor is tired and in need of updating, and a planned schedule of redecoration is in place. Records of children’s meetings demonstrate that there have been discussions about some communal spaces being underused. Children have been given the opportunity to put forward suggestions about how to improve them. This gives children a sense of ownership and pride in their surroundings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children would like more opportunities to participate in planned activities. Several children expressed the view that this is the only thing they would change about the home. Additionally, a family member of one child told the inspector they thought the home was absolutely brilliant, but they would like to see the child involved in more activities outside the home. They hoped the staff would be able to support the child to find an interest they could excel in. Staff vacancies are impacting on the number of staff working on each shift. This limits children’s access to recreational activities in the community, and means they are not able to fully explore their talents and interests.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Unplanned endings are rare. When they do occur, the registered manager reflects on the reasons why, which ensures there is learning and capacity to improve. One child who has recently left the home in a planned way contacted the home during the inspection and said, ‘You all taught me so many things that I needed to know. You helped me grow into who I am today.’ The relationships the child built with the staff Inspection report children’s home: SC066185 4 team were significant in supporting them to overcome their traumatic early life experiences.

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

Safeguarding children is a priority. Supervisions and team meetings are used effectively to enable staff to discuss safeguarding concerns and create clear plans for addressing them.

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

Staff understand the importance of working as a team to help children become increasingly safe. One child has been identified as being at risk of emotional harm if they access social media without support. There is a clear protocol in place for staff to follow to ensure the child does not have unsupervised access to electronic devices. This approach is being met with some resistance from the child, but staff unwaveringly follow the agreed plan. Reflective discussions with the manager enable staff to consider the impact of the child’s behaviour on the child, with the child’s experiences always held in mind. This approach supports staff to provide predictable and safe care for the child.

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

Incidents of children being at risk of harm, including self-harm, are rare. When they occur, they are sensitively handled by staff. On one occasion, a child self-harmed and their immediate response was to call their key worker and ask for help. The staff member acted quickly to get the child the medical support they needed. The child’s trusting relationship with staff kept them safe from further harm.

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

Safe recruitment practices are understood and are implemented by the manager and the staff responsible for this area of practice. Children are involved in the recruitment process. Managers are actively recruiting staff to fill vacant posts. In the interim, managers fill rota gaps with staff who know the children well. This reduces the risk of unsuitable adults and people who are unfamiliar with the home working there. Safe staffing levels are being maintained while recruitment is ongoing.

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

Staff keep children as safe as possible during incidents which require physical intervention. A debrief and evaluation takes place to consider how to prevent recurrence. Following several recent incidents involving one child, the registered manager has carried out a critical reflection on practice. She is working closely with other professionals to establish whether different strategies are likely to be more effective. This responsive approach to meeting the child’s complex needs increases the chance of reducing the frequency of incidents.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is passionate in her efforts to be a good role model and a trusted figure for the children and for the staff. As a result of this personable approach, children benefit from genuine care. Inspection report children’s home: SC066185 5 Staff report excellent support from the registered manager. They receive good- quality training provided by the organisation, and regular and meaningful supervision. They describe a culture which promotes mutual respect.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The organisation maintains the statement of purpose and submits updates to Ofsted by way of addendums. The statement of purpose itself has not been reviewed by the registered manager for over a year. This risks staff being unclear about the home’s intended aims and objectives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is committed to empowering children to have a say in decisions which affect them. She is starting to include children’s feedback in the review of the quality of care of the home. This demonstrates a willingness to ensure that there is continuous improvement based on what matters most to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Working closely with other professionals is given high priority by the registered manager. Feedback from external professionals, such as social workers and independent reviewing officers, was very positive regarding communication and partnership working. This demonstrates a culture of openness which ensures children benefit from meaningful joint working. Inspection report children’s home: SC066185 6

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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—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(d)) 31 August 2021

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home’s staff recognise and celebrate the achievements of their children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 31, paragraph 6.7)  The registered person should ensure that staff seek to identify and to provide appropriate opportunities for children to develop themselves in accordance with their wishes and feelings and as part of the home’s plan for their care. Each child’s talents and interests should be understood and nurtured, with children selecting activities based on their personal preferences and abilities, so far as is reasonable. Staff should also support children to try activities that are ‘new’ for them, where appropriate. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 31, paragraph 6.4)  The registered person should keep the statement of purpose under review. The

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Recommendations

statement of purpose should be child focused and should indicate how the home provides individualised care to meet the Quality Standards for the children in its care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.5) Inspection report children’s home: SC066185 7

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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: 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: 17 Leigh Road, Ramsgate, Kent CT12 5EU

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Leslie Davenport

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Inspector

Helen Simmons, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC066185 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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