Children's Home run by Longdon Hall School Limited in Staffordshire

Unique reference number SC478001 Inspector Marina Tully Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Longdon Hall School Limited Registered person address 1 Merchants Place River Street Bolton Lancashire BL2 1BX Responsible individual Paul Ivor Emmerson

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Registered manager

Beverley Anne Danielle Frances Cunningham / POST VACANT Date of last inspection N/A 2 of 11 Inspection date 21/01/2015

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Registered manager

Previous inspection N/A Enforcement action since last inspection None

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Overall effectiveness good

Outcomes for children and young people good Quality of care good Keeping children and young people safe good Leadership and management good

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Overall effectiveness

This is the homes first inspection since opening in July 2014. The home provides exceptionally well resourced and highly maintained accommodation to young people. It is appropriately located, which enhances young people’s safety and security, as well as their feeling of self-worth.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people are making measurable progress from the start of their placements. They benefit from having personalised care plans which reflect their range of needs and tastes. Staff are dedicated and ensure that they have in-depth knowledge of young people in their care. This means that staff are good at promoting young people’s needs, wishes and feelings, and are able to keep them safe. Staff have developed excellent relationships with young people and other professionals. One of the social workers said, ‘The individual support from staff was absolutely fantastic.’ Young people are benefitting from being cared for by a committed multi-disciplinary team.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people’s safety is paramount. They are safe and feel secure and respected within this home. Young people’s behaviour significantly improves which is down to staff ensuring positive engagement with them and other relevant professionals, such as counselling services. As a result, some young people have been enabled to return home to live with their families. 3 of 11 The manager of the home has only recently been appointed and was undergoing her induction during this inspection. She is supported by a competent deputy manager and a team leader. Leaders and staff demonstrate enthusiasm towards continued improvement and have high aspirations for taking the service forward. Young people’s views are important and they report feeling listened to and valued. Furthermore, parents and professionals consistently report feeling included and their views respected.

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Overall effectiveness

Shortfalls found at this inspection are in relation to the monitoring of the service and the statement of purpose. In addition, some recommendations are made to improve the recording of information, and giving young people feedback on decisions, specifically around complaints so they can be confident that their views and concerns are dealt with satisfactorily. 4 of 11

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately operated children's home registered to provide care and accommodation for up to 4 girls with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, Children's Homes Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure the registered manager monitors the matters set out in schedule 6; in particular, risk assessments for health and safety purposes and subsequent action taken; and any actions taken in response to complaints and how complaints were resolved (Regulation 34 (1)(a), Schedule 6 (18)&(6)) 04/05/2015

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Reg. Requirement Due date

4 (2001) ensure the children’s home is at all times conducted in a manner which is consistent with its statement of purpose, particularly in relation to how the home intends to provide therapeutic intervention to young people. (Regulation 4 (6)) 04/05/2015

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

 ensure all children communicate their views on all aspects of their care and support, specifically in relation to consistently recording young people's views and young people signing all relevant documents (NMS 1.3) 5 of 11  ensure children and young people understand how their views have been taken into account, and where significant wishes or concerns are not acted upon, they are helped to understand why, this is specifically in relation to outcomes of complaints (NMS 1.2)  ensure children and young people are supported to develop practical skills, with written plans which clearly identify need and measures progress. (NMS 12.1 (e)) 6 of 11

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people grow in confidence and benefit from improved self-esteem as a result of the care they receive. This was demonstrated in their engagement with this inspection. Young people articulated their views in a mature manner and gave good insight into the progress they have made since living in the home. They had a clear understanding of the reasons behind them being in care, and their long-term plans.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Progress is evident in all aspects of young people’s health and emotional well-being. Young people are physically healthy and their general health is regularly reviewed. For example, they attend routine dentist and optician appointments which ensures that they are receiving necessary treatment. Young people’s emotional health also improves. This is because they are referred to mental health services such as Child Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) when necessary. Furthermore, they receive counselling support from local voluntary organisations to bridge the gap while waiting for their appointment with CAHMS. Young people benefit from having their medical needs met by a competent team who are knowledgeable and trained to administer medication safely. Consequently, the young people enjoy improved physical and emotional health from the start of their placements.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Education is valued in this home. Good routines, encouragement and support have led to a significant increase in school attendance and attainment. Young people, who had extremely poor school attendance prior to moving in, now have an attendance record of 95%. Deputy Head teachers confirm vast improvements in all aspects of education.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people profit from quality contact with their family. Young people sustain strong family attachments, which is enabled by staff promoting contact and ensuring safe arrangements. Improved outcomes in all aspects of young people’s lives have led to some being able to return to their families and foster placements.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people develop many practical and self-care skills such as cooking, keeping their rooms clean, shopping and personal care. They are therefore developing essential life skills to take with them into adulthood. The staff promote independence as part of young people’s everyday living. However the home does not have any independence plans which clearly identify need, goals, and intended outcomes. This means that the young people are not fully benefitting from structured planning for independence where their progress can be monitored and reviewed. Furthermore, the lack of a measureable plan means the good practice of staff and young people’s achievements are not sufficiently evidenced in the homes records.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people have access to a range of activities of their own choice such as cadets, youth club, pamper sessions, trip to Blackpool, and meals out with staff. They benefit 7 of 11 from attending clubs they joined prior to placement, which ensures continuity in friendships and interests. As a result, young people are making good relationships with their carers’ and peers, as well as having fun and developing happy memories. Young people are therefore developing greater self-esteem, social skills, confidence and emotional resilience.

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Quality of care good

During the inspection, staff demonstrated an overwhelming level of warmth and regard towards young people in their care. They clearly had young people’s welfare and interest at heart. Interactions between staff and young people were consistently positive, warm and relaxed. This is reflected in one of the young people’s comments, ‘It’s a nice home. You get your own room and staff are really lovely.’

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Quality of care good

Staff are successfully engaging young people in direct work and thus effecting positive change. Young people recognise the value of the staff support and guidance: one young person said, ‘I feel more confident and I really benefitted from having key work sessions with staff.’ Due to quality relationships, engagement and trust, young people are learning better strategies for dealing with difficult situations and emotions, and, therefore, enabled to move forward.

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Quality of care good

Young people’s wishes and feelings are important and staff make concerted efforts to involve them in the planning of all aspects of their care. For example, young people have ‘health passports’ which are very child focused and written for young people rather than professionals. Furthermore, young people reported that they felt listened to and their views are important. An example of exceptional practice was their involvement in the recruitment of the new manager. Such practice gives young people a sense of self-worth, as well as useful skills and experience for their own interviews in the future.

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Quality of care good

The home’s records do not consistently document young people’s wishes and feelings. Consequently, this hinders effective monitoring and evaluation of young people’s participation in decisions affecting their lives or how the home is run.

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Quality of care good

The home has a clear complaints procedure and young people confirm they know how to make a complaint and would happily do so if they felt the need. Records demonstrated that complaints are rare; only one complaint has been made. While complaints procedures are followed, the view of the young person about the outcome was not recorded. This makes auditing of complaints difficult as without the young person’s view of the outcome, it is not possible to assess if the concern is effectively resolved. Furthermore, records do not demonstrate that young people are supported to understand why certain decisions are made. This is a weakness in recording practice rather than the procedures for investigating complaints.

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Quality of care good

Staff have good knowledge and understanding of young people’s individual needs 8 of 11 and personalities. They are conversant with young people’s plans and work collaboratively with all professionals to ensure plans are followed and needs are met. This is reflected in one social worker’s comment, ‘I have enjoyed engaging with professional staff who have worked in partnership with myself. Communication has been open throughout.’ When care and education plans have not been provided, staff are quick to chase them up. This ensures that the home’s plans’ reflect the aims and objectives of the local authorities. Furthermore, it leads to consistency in care and strong partnership working.

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Quality of care good

Schools speak very highly of the care provided within the home. Teachers report, ‘Communication and staff support is excellent’. Young people know that their carers' have high aspirations for them, which in turn is mirrored in their own attitude to learning. Young people are supported and encouraged by a diligent team to attend school and work hard. Consequently, the young people are making significant improvements in their education; this will increase their chance of success with their future ambitions and career opportunities.

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Quality of care good

The home provides a secure, stable and welcoming, homely environment. The accommodation itself is exceptional. It is located in a safe and convenient location, with a large garden and stunning views of the local countryside. It is maintained to a high standard. Feedback from a social worker and health professionals, who visit the home, state that the property is ‘outstanding’ and ‘the house looks fantastic and super clean.’ Young people are therefore benefiting from living in suitably located and well maintained home which makes them feel safe, respected, and valued.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Young people’s safety is central to staff practice. Young people live in a home where they are protected and feel safe. The young people placed are settled and secure and levels of risk within the home are currently low. Young people do not go missing. Records show that there have not been any incidents which have required physical restraint.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

The home has clear safeguarding procedures in place such as missing from home, child protection and behaviour management. Staff receive training on safeguarding matters as part of their induction. This includes safeguarding, child sexual exploitation and physical intervention training. The service has made good links with the local police and national working groups on child sexual exploitation. This demonstrates a proactive and dedicated approach to tackling risk taking behaviours.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Staff have in-depth knowledge and understanding of the young people’s behaviours and vulnerabilities. They have acquired this knowledge by developing trust and positive relationships with young people, parents and social workers. Improvements can be made in the quality of the homes risk assessments. While risk assessments are lengthy and detailed, it is not clear how risk is measured as the scoring system is 9 of 11 confusing and often inaccurate. Staff do not therefore have access to good quality risk assessments due to flaws in the recording of information. This has no direct impact on the safety and welfare of young people as staff’s knowledge, skills and practice is keeping young people safe.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Investigations into allegations are managed appropriately and all relevant bodies are kept informed. This enables effective and independent scrutiny of significant incidents, which further enhances young people’s safety.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Staff recruitment practices are robust. All necessary checks, such as police checks, references, and previous employment history, are undertaken prior to staff starting. This minimises the opportunity for unsuitable people to work with vulnerable young people.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

The home is located in a safe and secure environment. Safety is further enhanced by regular health and safety checks and frequent fire drills and equipment testing.

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Leadership and management good

There have been some recent changes in the leadership and management of the home. The initial Registered Manager is now the responsible individual for the service. For a short period of time, the deputy manager acted up as the manager of the home. On the week of this inspection, the permanent manager took up post. Her application to register has not yet been received by Ofsted. However, it is at the final stages of completion and she is still within the required timescale.

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Leadership and management good

The new manager holds the level 5 Diploma in management and has worked in residential child care since 2008. She worked her way up to a management role and has over 4 years managerial experience. She is supported by a suitably qualified and experienced deputy manager and a team leader who also holds the level 5 Diploma in management. This ensures that appropriate cover is in place when the manager is absent from the home.

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Leadership and management good

The leaders and staff are extremely enthusiastic and demonstrate commitment to driving the service forward and making continued improvements. They take tremendous pride in the home and their work. This is reflected in the quality of care provided and the high standards maintained within the home.

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Leadership and management good

Staff feel supported and are equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to meet young people’s needs. This is provided through relevant training, regular structured supervision, and constructive team meetings. All staff feel that induction to the service is extensive and of a high standard. Consequently, young people benefit from being cared for by an appropriately trained and effectively supervised and supported team. What is more, staff are happy in their work and this positively impacts on the atmosphere within the home. 10 of 11 Regular monitoring of the service is happening. The purpose of this is to review how young people are progressing, evaluate staff practice, and ensure young people and other stakeholders are involved in service development. A key strength is the mechanisms in place to ensure young people, parents, and stakeholders are regularly consulted. What is less clear is how their feedback transfers into service

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Leadership and management good

development. This is largely down to the quality of managements’ current monitoring system. At present, this does not cover all matters required by regulation. Furthermore, it does not identify the shortfalls raised at this inspection and how these can be addressed. This is principally a recording issue but has the potential to hinder service development if not addressed. Likewise the statement of purpose requires updating to reflect recent changes and to be clearer about how the home intends to provide therapeutic intervention to young people. Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Leadership and management good

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Judgement Description

Outstanding A service of exceptional quality that significantly exceeds minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Good A service of high quality that exceeds minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Adequate A service that only meets minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Inadequate A service that does not meet minimum requirements.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the relevant regulations and meets the national minimum standards.

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Information about this inspection

The report details the main strengths, any areas for improvement, including any breaches of regulation, and any failure to meet national minimum standards. The judgements included in the report are made against the framework of inspection for children's homes.

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