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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC023745 1 SC023745 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 by a private company that operates several other children’s homes in the area. The company provides an education service for those who require this. The home provides care for children who have severe to moderate learning difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted on 8 June 2022.

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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 good

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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

Date of last inspection: 1 September 2021

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC023745 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/09/2021 Full Good 26/02/2020 Interim Improved effectiveness 20/05/2019 Full Good 16/01/2019 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: SC023745 3

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outstanding

As a result of the exceptional quality of care that the children receive, their life chances are greatly enhanced. Staff consistently have high expectations for children and do everything they can to ensure that children have enriching experiences. One parent commented, ‘They love him, give him rewards and take him on trips.’ For example, staff arranged a special event that meant the child’s dreams could be fulfilled.

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outstanding

Children make significant, and often extraordinary, progress. One example includes a child achieving full-time school attendance after previously only managing to attend part time. Children are helped to manage their own strong emotions and feelings and, as a result, there are fewer incidents. Creative and imaginative practices of the staff enable children to enjoy activities in the community, such as visiting tourist attractions. This is something that was considered to be impossible in the past.

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outstanding

An independent reviewing officer commented on how the home had embraced and expanded a child’s world through being able to get them to school, taking them on trips out, going shopping and helping them to spend time with their family. This is an example of how the registered manager and staff work with children to ensure that they have the opportunity to engage in enjoyable, everyday experiences. This includes providing nurture, new experiences and improving children’s relationships with important people in their lives.

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outstanding

Staff continually consider different ways to widen children’s horizons. Creative strategies are then put in place to enable children to have these new experiences in a safe way which reduces their anxieties and meets their complex needs, such as away from busy areas and public places. This enables children to explore new interests and to express opinions, such as their thoughts about the films they would like to see at the cinema.

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outstanding

Families and professionals all agree that the care and attention to detail of the manager and staff have had a significant and positive effect on children’s lives and experiences.

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outstanding

The registered manager and staff are extremely effective in building nurturing relationships with children. Children, therefore, see staff as people who keep them safe and secure. This means that the vulnerabilities that accompany children’s difficulties are significantly lowered, or even eliminated at times.

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outstanding

Staff are extremely creative in helping children to meet personal challenges and to address issues which are individual to their needs. These include creating the Inspection report for children’s home: SC023745 4 experience of going to an optician before going to the actual appointment. On another occasion, staff used a child’s interest in wrestling figures to develop social stories which helped the child to understand about the different cultures, sexualities and ethnicities of others. The level of trust that has built up between the staff and children means that they are able to discuss sensitive matters without embarrassment. This enables children to accept advice and understand socially acceptable behaviours.

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outstanding

Children’s anxiety levels significantly reduce when they come to live in the home. This is reflected in the reduction and severity of incidents that children are involved in. One child, who had a history of making allegations against staff and displaying inappropriate behaviour, was able to begin to manage their emotions safely, within weeks of moving into the home. As a result, these known behaviours reduced significantly. This is regarded as a remarkable achievement by those who know the child well.

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outstanding

Consequences and physical interventions are very rarely used in this home. Instead, as a parent commented, ‘They have behaviour boundaries but are not strict. They explain to my son what is expected.’

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outstanding

Occasionally, children’s individual risk management plans do not accurately reflect the reasons for the measures taken to keep children safe. The registered manager provides clear reasons for why door alarms are used at night for each child, although the use of these alarms is not included in children’s relevant written plans. There have not been any issues regarding compatibility when new children move into the home, although the risk assessments do not include a record of consideration of the potential effect that this could have on children who already live in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager leads an experienced and stable staff team. Staff understand children extremely well and have a joint ethos of ensuring that any child coming to live in the home knows that they are cared for, and that staff will provide new opportunities and experiences for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

This is evidenced in a report that had been produced for the future carers of a child who is due to leave the home, in a planned way, shortly. The report details the child’s personality and conveys their likes and dislikes with evident affection. It even incudes a detailed recipe for the child’s favourite meal so that this can be recreated by their new carers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager analyses patterns in information well. This information is used to improve practice. Notably, the registered manager saw that incidents happening at school for one child occurred mainly between lessons and at break times. This information was shared with staff at the child’s school and action was taken to reduce the risk. Subsequently, the level of incidents for this child, at these times, dropped significantly. Inspection report for children’s home: SC023745 5 The registered manager monitors how actions from statutory reviews are carried out. The manager challenges other agencies when these are not being fulfilled in a timescale that benefits children. The registered manager also successfully advocated for a child when it became clear that plans made for him by other agencies had not been in the child’s best interest.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s difficulties and challenges mean that holding structured discussions, whether in traditional children’s meetings or key-work sessions, is not usually an effective way of engaging children. Staff, therefore, take the opportunity to talk to children informally as and when occasions arise. This ensures that important matters are discussed in a timely and effective way. However, the content of these discussions is not recorded in an accessible way for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and staff have formed supportive relationships with children’s families, even when they live at a distance from the home. It has been enormously beneficial for children to have such important people in their lives working together. As one parent said, ‘They are beyond fantastic’ and ‘They have been an extended family for us.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Shortfalls remain in the quality and content of the independent person’s report and quality of care reviews. Children and other relevant people are not consulted, and actions and recommendations are not raised. While work to improve the quality is underway, this is yet to be embedded in practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have not ensured that fixtures and fittings are maintained to a good enough standard. Inspection report for children’s home: SC023745 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 registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires; and

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Requirement Due date

to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home’s records (except for a child’s case records, unless the child and the child’s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires.

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Requirement Due date

A visit by the independent person to the home may be unannounced.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit ("the independent person’s report") which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person’s report may recommend actions that the registered person may take in relation to the home and timescales within which the registered person must consider whether or not to take those actions. (Regulation 44 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5)) 31 December

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months. 31 December Inspection report for children’s home: SC023745 7 In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (5))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the children’s home complies with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however, in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. In particular, the quality of the environment, including all fixtures and fittings, should be maintained to a high standard. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that limits on privacy and access may only be put in place to safeguard each child in the home. Any decisions to limit a child’s access to any area of the home, and any modifications to the environment of the home, must only be made where this is intended to safeguard the child’s welfare. All decisions should be informed by a rigorous assessment of that individual child’s needs, be properly recorded and be kept under regular review.

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Recommendations

In particular, decisions to monitor children’s movement at night, and so limit privacy, by the use of door alarms should be underpinned by individual risk assessments that detail how their use will keep the child safe. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.10)  The registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. In particular, compatibility risk assessments should consider and record the potential effect on children who already use the service and the actions or decisions that Inspection report for children’s home: SC023745 8 arise from this. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality

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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 for children’s home: SC023745 9

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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

Chris Peel, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC023745 10 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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