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

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a private company. It provides care for up to 4 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There were 4 children living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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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

Date of last inspection: 13 November 2024

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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

13/11/2024 Full Good 06/06/2023 Full Good 20/06/2022 Full Good 11/05/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC068803 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is bright, homely and welcoming to the children. Photos of the children are displayed on the walls and children’s bedrooms are personalised to their own tastes. Children have plenty of space to play, including in the newly decorated outhouse.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know the children well and understand their histories. Staff are interested in the children and listen to what they have to say. Children are involved in decision-making about their lives. Staff take time to explain the reasons for any decisions and ensure that they do the things they say they will do. This has helped the children to develop trust in the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work closely with education professionals and encourage children’s attendance at school. Three children have moved to new schools and these transitions have been managed well. The children have made significant progress in their engagement and learning from their starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children see the people who are important to them. Staff work tirelessly to ensure that family time happens for children. Staff have created links with children’s family members. For one child, whose plan is to return home, staff have created a graded plan to support the child and family during the transition period. This has enabled the child to benefit from continuity of care as their plan progresses.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children participate in clubs and activities. This includes going to youth groups, Scouts and Young Farmers clubs. Staff are creative in finding the most suitable clubs for the children. For example, when one child was struggling with a performing arts club, staff found a similar group that catered better to their needs. As a result, the child feels more confident and their social skills are improving.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Culture is celebrated in the home and children take part in themed culture nights on a monthly basis. Children discuss traditions and eat food from different cultures. This helps the children to develop a broader understanding of the world.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the children to prepare for adulthood. Children are involved in creating and following plans to carry out household chores. This helps them to build confidence in everyday tasks and enhances their life skills.

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

Children feel safe at the home and have a good understanding of why rules and boundaries are in place. Staff are confident in how to keep children safe. Inspection report for children’s home: SC068803 4 Effective measures are in place to ensure that the children are kept safe online. Phone checks are carried out, helping to minimise risk. For one child, a random phone check enabled staff to discover that the child had been assaulted in the community. This allowed the staff to respond promptly and provide support and nurture to the child.

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

The registered manager and staff make the home a welcoming and fun place, where children want to be. As a result, children rarely go missing. When children do go missing, they receive a well-coordinated response from staff. Effective learning takes place and plans are updated to ensure that the children are kept safe.

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

Incidents are rare in the home because staff provide children with clear boundaries. Steps are taken to help children to manage their behaviours when they feel upset, and therefore physical interventions are only used as a last resort. However, when physical interventions do happen, children do not receive appropriate debriefs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is suitably qualified and experienced. Staff say that they feel supported by the management team and that they enjoy their role. When there have been issues with team dynamics, these have been resolved quickly by the registered manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff supervision sessions take place regularly. They are supportive in nature and provide staff with the opportunity to seek and receive additional support to improve their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings take place regularly and are informative, supporting the smooth running of the home. Staff have recently taken part in group supervision. This is a reflective space for staff to talk about any worries that they may have.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff complete a range of training specific to children’s needs. Staff take part in mandatory training and additional training is offered when required. Recently, staff have completed training regarding autism. This training has helped them in their practice with one child, who has recently been diagnosed with autism.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from social workers is positive. One social worker said that the home ‘has been brilliant. They have really helped move things along for [the child].’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

While the registered manager demonstrates good oversight of the home, oversight of physical interventions is not consistently effective. This means that learning does not always happen following a physical intervention. Inspection report for children’s home: SC068803 5

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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 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

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received.

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that there is effective oversight of all physical interventions, and that learning is identified, recorded and acted upon, following each incident. 30 April 2026

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Recommendation

 Staff should have the skills and confidence to communicate easily and understand the importance of listening to, involving and responding to the children they care for. Staff should understand that they have a responsibility to observe, notice and respond to children who are expressing their views, acknowledging that it is not the sole Inspection report for children’s home: SC068803 6 responsibility of the child to ‘tell’. In particular, staff should have the appropriate skills to communicate effectively with children to support meaningful debriefs following physical intervention. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.10)

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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: 17 Leigh Road, Ramsgate, Kent CT12 5EU

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Leslie Davenport

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Inspector

Steph McDonald, Social Care Inspector 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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