Children's Home run by Ethelbert Specialist Homes Limited in KentOfsted inspection, 16 Sept 2026

Inspection report for children’s home: SC030797 1 SC030797 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

This home is privately owned and provides care for up to 9 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 6 children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been in post since April 2026 and has applied to register with Ofsted.

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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: 4 February 2026

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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: SC030797 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/02/2026 Full Good 21/01/2025 Full Good 11/09/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 23/05/2023 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: SC030797 3

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Summary of findings

Children receive warm, nurturing care from a stable and experienced team of staff who know them well. As a result, children make good progress in their education, emotional wellbeing and independence. Children’s views are listened to, and they inform care planning. Staff help children to maintain important connections with their families if it is safe to do so. Safeguarding practice has improved since the last inspection. Staff understand children’s risks. Incidents are managed appropriately, and restraint processes are overseen effectively by leaders. Leaders provide effective leadership, understand children well and advocate strongly on their behalf. However, weaknesses remain in the management of allegations, and the independent visitor reports lack sufficient scrutiny to drive improvement effectively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from positive relationships with staff and are confident in seeking their support. Staff are caring, nurturing and take time to understand each child’s individual needs and experiences. This creates a positive home environment in which children can develop emotionally and experience a sense of belonging. One social worker commented on the high quality of the relationships between the staff and the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress from their starting points due to the individual and personalised care they receive. They achieve positive outcomes in education and are becoming more confident and increasingly able to manage challenges in a more constructive way. Staff advocate strongly for children’s educational needs. Children’s health is a priority in the home. Staff understand children’s physical and emotional health needs and ensure that they have access to the services and support they require.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views, wishes and feelings are listened to and taken seriously by staff. Children are encouraged to share their opinions during house meetings, key-work sessions and day-to-day discussions. Staff respond to children’s feedback, helping children feel valued and involved in decisions about their lives in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to take part in a wide range of activities that reflect their individual interests and hobbies. Staff support them to develop new skills and take part in new experiences. This helps children to build confidence and develop friendships outside the home. One social worker praised the willingness of staff to make reasonable adjustments to enable a child to participate in specific activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children moving into and out of the home are supported through carefully planned arrangements that consider their individual needs. Staff work closely with children, families and external professionals to help ensure that children are well prepared and are supported to maintain important relationships during times of change. One foster carer Inspection report for children’s home: SC030797 4 praised staff’s efforts to promote and maintain their relationship with a child after they had moved into the home, ensuring that this important connection was maintained.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work proactively to promote meaningful family time. Families are also kept informed about children’s progress, achievements and day-to-day experiences. One parent spoke positively about the relationships that they had built with the staff in the home, helping parents to feel involved in their children’s lives and care and contributing to greater consistency for children.

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

Since the last inspection, leaders have strengthened the oversight and the review of missing-from-home incidents. Staff understand their safeguarding responsibilities and know how to respond to concerns when children go missing. Incidents are well recorded and provide a clear account of actions taken by staff. Children are supported to reflect on incidents during key-work sessions, helping them to understand risk, consider their behaviour and develop safer strategies.

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

Staff understand the risks associated with children in the home and use this knowledge to provide effective support. Risks are assessed and regularly reviewed to ensure that children are protected while being supported to develop age-appropriate independence. Staff encourage children to take reasonable risks safely, helping them build confidence, practical skills and prepare for adulthood.

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

Children say they feel safe and well supported in the home. Families and professionals speak positively about staff’s ability to keep children safe. Social workers say they are promptly updated about any concerns and incidents, enabling effective partnership work to manage and reduce risk.

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

Children’s behaviour is managed well. When physical intervention is used, records are completed promptly. Children and staff are provided with opportunities to debrief and learn. This helps children to reflect on incidents and enables staff to review their practice. A recently introduced recording format has helped to strengthen management oversight. It enables a greater scrutiny of incidents and helps to ensure that learning is identified and enacted.

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

Allegations made by children are responded to promptly and are recorded appropriately. However, oversight of the process is not always effective. On one occasion, staff did not follow the actions identified in the allegation risk assessment regarding lone working. In addition, there is no process to ensure that children are informed of the outcomes of allegations made, or for children to challenge or escalate concerns if they are unhappy with the outcome. This has the potential to reduce children’s trust in safeguarding processes and may discourage them from raising concerns in the future. Inspection report for children’s home: SC030797 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has applied to register with Ofsted. The previous registered manager now has an area manager role and continues to provide strong oversight and support to the home. Leaders are visible in the home and maintain a clear focus on achieving positive outcomes for children. Staff describe the manager as supportive and caring and highlight that their positive communication with the team further supports the care of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak highly of senior leaders and describe them as approachable and supportive. They report receiving regular guidance and oversight, enabling them to feel confident in their roles. Staff receive regular supervision and a wide range of training that is specific to children’s needs. This positive and supportive culture contributes to a stable workforce that is focused on the needs of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team is stable and experienced and provides children with consistent care and support. Staff bring a wide range of interests, skills and hobbies, which they share with children to broaden their experiences and opportunities. Recent staffing challenges have been managed effectively through support from staff in the wider organisation, ensuring continuity of care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s leaders work effectively with the children’s professional network. This is reflected in feedback received during the inspection. Professionals describe the manager’s communication as prompt and effective and praise the high standard of care provided to children. Families also speak highly of the support provided to their children and report that they are regularly updated. This reflects the effective support and guidance provided by staff and leaders. Leaders actively seek feedback from parents, using regular consultation forms, to inform service development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders know the children well and advocate strongly for them. They actively challenge external professionals when necessary to ensure that children receive the services, support and opportunities they need. This advocacy helps to promote positive outcomes and ensures that children remain at the center of planning and decision-making.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s views are regularly sought through discussions, children’s meetings and consultation feedback forms. Children report feeling listened to and say that staff take appropriate action in response to their wishes and feelings.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The quality of the independent visitor reports remains weak. Insufficient scrutiny and challenge reduce their effectiveness in providing independent oversight and supporting leaders to identify and address areas requiring improvement. Inspection report for children’s home: SC030797 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 registered person must prepare and implement a policy which—

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Requirement Due date

sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect.

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Requirement Due date

The procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect must, in particular—

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Requirement Due date

describe the measures which may be necessary to protect children following an allegation of abuse or neglect; and

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Requirement Due date

describe how and to whom staff are to report, without delay, any concern about abuse or neglect of a child. (Regulation 34 (1)(b) (2)(e)(f))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that there is a clear and effective procedure in the home for managing allegations. Staff should understand and adhere to this procedure. Children should be kept informed of the outcomes of allegations and receive support to escalate concerns if they are not satisfied with the responses or outcomes. 12 November 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once a month.

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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. (Regulation 44 (1) (4)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the independent person provides effective scrutiny and evaluates 12 November 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC030797 7 the quality of care and staff safeguarding responses in sufficient depth to enable leaders and managers to continue to improve the safeguarding and welfare of children.

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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: SC030797 8

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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

Ben Wilson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC030797 9 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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Inspector

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