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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC023736 1 SC023736 Registered provider: Ethelbert Specialist Homes Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private organisation. The home is registered to provide care for up to three children who may experience social, emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Three children were living at the home at the time of the inspection.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The suitably qualified manager has been registered with Ofsted since March 2021.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 7 February 2024

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC023736 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/02/2024 Full Good 09/01/2023 Full Good 21/02/2022 Full Good 08/10/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC023736 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy living at the home. They make strong progress because of the positive relationships they have with staff. Children say that they always get the support they need and can talk to staff when they experience challenges in their lives. This means that children feel safe and secure in the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Difference is celebrated. Children are cared for by a diverse team of staff, who are skilful in helping children to understand their own heritage through everyday activities, such as reading, cooking and music. Children feel able to discuss their feelings with staff openly. This helps children to experience new cultures while they build confidence and explore their own identities.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote the children’s education. All the children are attending local colleges and working towards attaining qualifications. When children have experienced challenges, staff have advocated strongly for them. They have worked with educators to provide support to help them understand the children’s needs. This has meant that one child has been able to continue to attend college.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff prepare children to be independent by helping them to learn new skills. Children use public transport independently, shop and cook for themselves. They have personal responsibilities in the home, such as doing their laundry and keeping their own spaces clean and tidy. Children are involved in their local community, and one child volunteers at a local charity shop.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are involved in the day-to-day decisions in the home. Staff routinely listen to children and consider their views. Children have had input in the furnishing of the home and their bedrooms are personalised. Their achievements are celebrated and on display throughout the home. This helps children to feel a sense of belonging.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote children’s relationships with those who are important to them. Families and friends visit the home, and children are helped to see friends in the community independently. When children experience difficulties in their relationships, staff give children advice and support to allow children to reflect on their interactions. As a result, children are learning to manage relationships independently.

p.3

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

Staff consistently promote positive behaviour. They use their relationships with the children to help them when they are upset or in distress. Children respond well to this. Consequently, since the last inspection, there have been no incidents requiring the use of restraint, or the use of any consequences. Inspection report for children’s home: SC023736 4 Staff understand children’s risks and vulnerabilities extremely well. There is a strong focus on safeguarding and helping the children to understand the risks they may experience, rather than restricting them. Staff know what to do in the event of any safeguarding concerns arising.

p.3

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

Children benefit from clear rules and expectations, which are based on mutual respect and trust. When they go out on their own, children stay in touch with the staff, and update them regularly if they encounter challenges. This allows children to build age- appropriate confidence and independence in keeping themselves safe.

p.4

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

Because children feel safe and enjoy living in the home, they rarely go missing, and there are few incidents of children harming themselves. When incidents do occur, staff work effectively with other professionals to ensure that children are safe and receive the right support. However, children’s plans are not consistently updated following incidents. This means that, potentially, staff do not have clear plans of how such risks to children are to be managed.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The highly experienced and appropriately qualified registered manager is inspirational. Children and staff are highly positive about the manager. One child said, ‘The manager is great. She’s a really kind, nice person.’ One member of staff said, ‘She is the best manager I have ever had.’

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is exceptionally ambitious for all children and motivates them to achieve their goals. The impact of her leadership has been transformational for the children. As a result, the children have made clear progress, their risks are reducing, and they are becoming more independent.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager advocates strongly for the children to ensure that they have the support they need. Working relationships with partner agencies and schools are exceptional. Feedback from them is overwhelmingly positive. One professional said, ‘There is love and care and its normalised.’ One parent told the inspector, ‘There is an exceptional level of care and attention; the kindness the staff present is wonderful.’

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff say that they receive excellent support from the manager . They receive regular training that is specific to the needs of the children. Staff receive frequent, good-quality supervision. This encourages the staff to reflect on their practice and discuss their views. They are involved in the care planning for children and have a voice in the home. As a result, the manager is confident that staff know how to safely care for the children in line with their care plans.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager knows the strengths of the home and areas for development. She effectively monitors the care in the home and maintains very strong oversight. The manager reviews the quality of care, and has put actions in place to drive ongoing improvements to the care children receive. Inspection report for children’s home: SC023736 5 The manager ensures that the house is safe and maintained to a high standard. Health and safety matters are discussed regularly at staff team meetings, as well as with children. When defects are identified, these are repaired promptly to ensure that the home remains safe for children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC023736 6

p.4

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children’s plans include clear plans for staff to follow when children go missing from care and when they harm themselves. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’ page 42, paragraph 9.5)

p.6

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: SC023736 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Ethelbert Specialist Homes Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

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

p.7

Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Leslie Davenport

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered manager: Elizabeth Wynne-Thomas

p.7

Inspector

Glen Strowbridge, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC023736 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.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8