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

Inspection report for 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

The home is run by a private company and provides care for up to four children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, four children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 18 July 2023.

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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 for children’s home: SC068803 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/06/2023 Full Good 20/06/2022 Full Good 11/05/2021 Full Good 18/02/2020 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC068803 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making good progress in all areas. They are well cared for, happy and like living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Arrangements for children moving into and out of the home are well managed. Children are supported to move positively from the home. Managers are conscientious about ensuring that children receive the right support to move on. Well-informed assessments inform care planning and plans for children moving into the home. Child-focused stories and direct work help children to prepare to move in and to settle.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are listened to. They are supported to share their thoughts during one-to-one sessions and children’s meetings. Their views are routinely sought on choices of activities, menu and bedroom decor. Children make choices on the things that matter to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a range of positive daily experiences. They have fun and develop their skills and interests. Children are encouraged to join clubs in the local community. The home recognises and supports children to develop relationships outside of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to maintain active and healthy lifestyles and learn about how they can stay healthy. They are supported and encouraged to try new things, including new foods and forms of exercise. One child is pleased with what he has achieved since changing his diet.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress in their education. They receive support to attend school and have positive experiences of education. Staff engage with professionals to support children with their schooling. They ensure that children have access to the right provision to meet their individual needs. Learning from school is supported at home and children are helped and encouraged to do their homework and take part in reading challenges. One child, who was previously on a reduced timetable, is now attending full time and achieving 100% attendance.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Generally, the home is maintained to a good standard. There are some areas of the home which require maintenance, redecoration and refurnishing to create a more homely environment for children.

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

Staff are aware of each child’s vulnerabilities. There are a range of risk management and support plans to guide staff. Management oversight ensures that plans in place are reviewed and that safety plans are effective. Staff design activities and opportunities for children to take informed and age-appropriate risks. Inspection report for children’s home: SC068803 4 Children build positive relationships with each other, staff and their families. They can identify adults to share their worries with and are able to voice concerns. Children know how to raise complaints. They receive feedback on issues they raise and can see the impact of sharing their views. Children feel heard by the adults supporting them. This helps them to feel safe, settled and supported.

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

Safer recruitment practices are effective. Staff recruited to work in the home are checked and vetted to assess that they are suitable to work with children.

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

Physical intervention is not used routinely in the home. When it is, staff only use it following extensive de-escalation attempts when there is no alternative. Records of physical interventions are clear. Children and staff are supported to reflect following incidents, and children receive support to reflect on their behaviours. This encourages them to learn new strategies for managing their own behaviour. One child who needed high levels of physical intervention has not had an incident for six months.

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

Staff use positive strategies to promote good behaviour. They occasionally use consequences, which are linked to the behaviours displayed. Restorative discussions help children to understand the natural consequences of their behaviours. Managers maintain good oversight of behaviour management practices in the home to ensure that they are proportionate, effective and to identify any areas of learning following incidents.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are committed to providing child-focused care. This supports staff to provide a stable home for all children. The registered manager has built trusting relationships with children, staff and external professionals. There is a visible and accessible management team that works alongside the staff to care for children. As a result, managers know the children well and have a good understanding of the progress they make.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive a comprehensive training package. This includes courses that are specific to the needs of the children living in the home. New staff are supported to engage in a pathway of learning. This leads directly on to an opportunity to study for an ongoing qualification. All staff have attained or have been enrolled on the relevant level 3 qualification.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager maintains monitoring systems and oversight of care arrangements. There are systems in place to review health and safety, care planning and risk management. Regular audits support the manager to identify shortfalls in practice. When shortfalls are identified, the manager takes prompt action. This includes arranging swift training, making changes to recording systems and providing support to prevent reoccurrence of any incidents of concern.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Generally, the home’s records are maintained and stored securely. Some practices for sharing information may breach children’s privacy. The use of wall displays in office Inspection report for children’s home: SC068803 5 areas, which are accessible to children and visitors, has resulted in a breach of confidentiality.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision is not provided in line with organisational timescales. This reduces opportunities for staff to explore the personal impact of their work and to reflect on practice. Missed supervision sessions have prevented managers from addressing some shortfalls in individual practice. Inspection report for children’s home: SC068803 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, 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 within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

the privacy of children is appropriately protected. (Regulation 21 (a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children’s personal information is stored securely. 2 January 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)) 2 January 2025

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets children’s needs. In most cases, children’s homes should be homely, domestic environments. This specifically relates to ensuring that the home, its furnishings and resources are maintained to an acceptable state of cleanliness, repair and decoration. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: 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: Ethelbert Specialist Homes Limited, 17 Leigh Road, Ramsgate, Kent CT12 5EU

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Leslie Davenport

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Inspectors

Georgia Carty, Social Care Inspector Lee Kirwin, Regulatory Inspection Manager Inspection report for children’s home: SC068803 8 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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