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

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC023746 1 SC023746

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Registered provider: Ethelbert Specialist Homes Limited

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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 and accommodation for up to three children with emotional, social and behavioural difficulties. One child was living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager in post since April 2023.

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This monitoring visit

The home was judged as inadequate at its full inspection that was completed on 20 July 2023. Following the visit, the provider was issued with a notice restricting accommodation of the home.

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This monitoring visit

This visit was carried out to monitor the registered provider’s progress against the requirements set after the last full inspection and to ensure that the notice restricting accommodation was being adhered to.

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This monitoring visit

The notice restricting accommodation has been complied with, as no further children have been admitted to the home since it was issued.

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This monitoring visit

There has been a proactive and positive response from leaders and managers to the requirements made at the full inspection. Some requirements and recommendations have not yet been met, and there is work underway to address this. As a result, the notice restricting accommodation remains in place following this monitoring visit.

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This monitoring visit

Some staff have not had the required training to fulfil their role in meeting the needs of the child currently living at the home. For instance, not all staff have completed safeguarding or physical intervention training. Despite this, there have been some instances where untrained staff have taken part in physical restraints of the child. In addition, if a restraint has been used, the child does not always have a debrief in the required timescales by an independent person. This is a missed opportunity to find Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC023746 2 out how the child is feeling and if anything could be done differently.

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This monitoring visit

All staff have now had medication handling and administration training. Staffing levels have improved but the manager continues to work on shift when there are not enough staff. The supervision of staff, including that of the manager, has improved in quality and is taking place at regular intervals.

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This monitoring visit

Some staff are relatively new in post and are working on building trusting relationships with the child living at the home. Given that these staff members are new, their ability to build trusting and nurturing relationships with the child has been limited. Furthermore, staff have not had the opportunity to understand, through training, the impact of trauma and difficult early childhood experiences on children’s behaviour and development.

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This monitoring visit

The child living at the home has enjoyed a summer full of activities and is well prepared for going back to school. There has been a high level of communication between the staff at the school and the staff from the home about the child’s return to school. This will help the child to have a positive start to the new school year.

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This monitoring visit

Staff have responded appropriately when the child has gone missing from home. Since the full inspection, the number of times the child has gone missing from home has reduced. Staff now manage incidents in a proactive and effective way and are nurturing and supportive in their approach to the child. There is good joint working with other agencies and good information-sharing to help make informed decisions about the child’s care. There is ongoing work by staff to prepare the child to move on from the home.

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This monitoring visit

The manager has made good progress in updating the plans and assessments for the child. Plans and assessments are now current and accurate. They support the staff in their care of the child. Assessments now contain details about the child’s family culture and religion. This supports the staff in helping the child’s own understanding of their past and heritage. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC023746 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/07/2023 Full Inadequate 27/03/2023 Full Good 02/06/2021 Full Outstanding 10/12/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC023746 4

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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, The 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 with 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 staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(d)(e)) 30 October 2023

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have 30 October 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC023746 5 the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(viii)(ix))

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)) 30 October 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the behaviour management policy”) which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (3)(c)) 30 October 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC023746 6

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC023746 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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Inspectors

Jules Harrild, Social Care Inspector Peter Jackson, Social Care Compliance Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC023746 8 and inspects 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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