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

Requires improvement

The children's home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 Young people’s risk assessments are weak. They do not specify how risk taking behaviours will be reduced, or detail actions to be taken by staff. This compromises young people’s safety.

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 Young people’s education is not promoted. Staff do not address barriers to education, work effectively with education services, or support young people to re-engage in education.

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 Managers and staff do not work in effective partnership with placing authorities, or other agencies. When the practice and performance of external professionals is unacceptable, they do not appropriately challenge this to ensure that young people access the help and support they need.

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 Staff do not fully understand or apply the home’s statement of purpose. They do not ensure that all young people receive personalised care and support to meet their needs. This hinders their progress.

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 Staff do not ensure that young people’s case files are kept up to date. Case files do not include all necessary information and documentation. These do not provide young people with a true reflection of their placement.

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 Young people’s emotional and psychological health needs are not supported in line with their care plans. Staff do not enable young people to access the specialist health services they need to support their development and promote their well-being.

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The children's home strengths

 The use of physical restraint continues to reduce. Staff practice centres on verbal de-escalation and distraction techniques. Staff encourage positive behaviour through the use of rewards and personalised incentives.  Staff establish positive relationships with young people’s families. They support young people to retain regular contact with their families and further develop these relationships.

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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 (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

5. Engaging with the wider system to ensure children’s needs are met

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the engaging with the wider system standard, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

(a) seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

(b) seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs; and

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Requirement Due date

(c) if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. 30/10/2015

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Requirement Due date

6. The quality and purpose of care standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the quality and purpose of care standard the registered person must, and must ensure that staff— (2)(b)

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Requirement Due date

(i) understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

(iv) provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background; and

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Requirement Due date

(vii) provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably. 30/10/2015

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Requirement Due date

8. The education standard 30/10/15 In order to meet the education standard the registered person must ensure that staff— (2)(a)

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Requirement Due date

(iii) understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

(iv) help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

(v) promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

(vi) maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement; and

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Requirement Due date

(vii) raise any need for further assessment or specialist provision in relation to a child with the child’s education or training provider and the child’s placing authority.

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the health and well-being standard the registered person must ensure that staff help each child to— (2)(a)

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Requirement Due date

(i) achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans. 30/10/2015

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard the registered person must ensure that staff— (2)(a)

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Requirement Due date

(i) assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. 30/10/2015

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Requirement Due date

13. The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the leadership and management standard the registered person must— 30/10/2015 (2)(a) lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose

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Requirement Due date

(h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the care planning standard, the registered person must ensure—

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Requirement Due date

(2)(c) that each child’s relevant plans are followed. 30/10/2015

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must take precautions against the risk of fire. This specifically relates to the review of fire risk assessments. (Regulation 25(1)(a)) 30/10/2015

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child. (Regulation 36(1)(a)) 30/10/2015

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to HMCI. (Regulation 44(7)(a)) 30/10/2015

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Information about this children's home

The home provides care and accommodation for up to 4 young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home is owned and operated by a private company and registered to provide single gender care and accommodation.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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require improvement

Staff do not utilise their relationships to progress young people’s internal care plans. For example, one-to-one sessions do not reflect young people’s achievements, because they are reactive to their negative or risk taking behaviours. In addition, case files do not include up-to-date statutory care plans and other relevant documentation. Staff do not effectively challenge local authorities regarding this shortfall. This means that they are unable to confirm that the care they provide mirrors the objectives of the placement. This impacts negatively on young people’s progress and limits the personalised care that they receive.

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require improvement

Staff and managers do not prioritise young people’s education and not all young people have suitable school placements. Staff do not identify or challenge barriers to education to enable young people to re-engage with formal learning. Partnerships between staff, placing authorities and educational services, such as virtual schools, are weak and ineffective. There is a lack of structure and routine in the home. This means that young people are not provided with informal learning opportunities as a means of stimulating their desire to learn; they do not see education to be important at this stage of their development.

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require improvement

Young people’s physical health needs are adequately monitored and assessed but they are unable to easily access services to support their emotional and psychological well-being. For example, some young people experience delays in utilising the services they need because staff do not complete referrals to the relevant heath agencies. This is detrimental to young people’s progress. Young people do attend primary health care appointments. Staff work with nursing services to ensure that young people have annual health checks.

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require improvement

Staff consult with young people regarding the day-to-day running of the home. Young people say they are involved in decisions about the internal decoration of the home and the fixtures and fittings. Nevertheless, they do not receive the support they need from staff to maintain their bedrooms or personal spaces. Bedrooms are not cleaned to an adequate or acceptable standard. Young people do not take pride in their bedrooms, because their personal surroundings are not comfortable.

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require improvement

Young people are able to maintain strong relationships with their families. When they are placed away from their home area, staff facilitate regular contact visits and encourage daily telephone contact. One young person said: ‘I spend lots of time with my family and staff know how important this is too me so it’s important to them too. I like that.’ Young people are not isolated from their families and this supports their feelings of self-esteem and inclusion.

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require improvement

Young people have good relationships with staff. They say they feel ‘looked after and cared for’. One young person said: ‘I like the staff and I like being with them.’

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requires improvement

Young people present complex behaviours that place them at risk of significant harm. Staff are skilled in identifying these behaviours along with antecedents that may increase the likelihood of young people exhibiting them. One young person said: ‘I suppose I do feel safe here because I know the staff care about me and what happens to me’. Incidents of young people going missing from the home are rare. Staff work with local police to provide a suitable responses to these events. This means that young people are protected in these circumstances.

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requires improvement

Risk assessment documents do not adequately detail how risks will be reduced. When devising them, staff do not prioritise the most significant behaviours, such as self-harm, that have the most detrimental impact on young people’s well-being. Managers and staff do not ensure that clear protocols are in place to help them involve other agencies, such as medical professionals, when needed, or in an emergency. Young people do not receive a consistent or integrated approach to promoting their safety and welfare. This hinders their development.

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requires improvement

Young people do respond well to positive rewards and incentives. These programmes improve their sense of safety and well-being. The use of physical restraint continues to reduce because staff focus on verbal de-escalation and distraction techniques. When restraint is necessary to keep young people safe, records are detailed and include young people’s comments and views. This ensures that the effectiveness and appropriateness of this measure of control is monitored to protect young people.

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requires improvement

Young people understand how to make a complaint and say these are quickly addressed. Records of complaints are detailed and specify the actions taken to resolve these. This transparent approach to addressing young people’s concerns promotes their safety.

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requires improvement

There is a detailed location risk assessment that highlights risk factors in the surrounding area and indicates how these will be managed. Staff complete regular fire and health and safety checks in the home. However, the fire risk assessment is out of date. It has not been reviewed to reflect changing circumstances in the home. This does not ensure that the environment remains safe and secure for children to reside in.

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requires improvement

The home has a new manager in post who has been registered with Ofsted since August 2015. The registered manager holds a Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare qualification. She has a number of years’ experience of working in, and managing, children’s residential care service.

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requires improvement

Young people placed in the home display extremely complex and challenging behaviours. The registered manager is competent in identifying young people’s individual needs and developing internal care plans to reflect these. However, these plans are ineffectual because they are not implemented. For example, when plans state that young people need to be referred to specific external support agencies, the registered manager does not ensure that this is done. Young people’s progress is compromised because of this shortfall.

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requires improvement

Internal monitoring systems are weak because they do not stipulate actions required to improve the quality of care for young people. The registered manager is aware of the aspects of the service that fall below acceptable standards, but does not ensure that improvements are made. This impedes young people’s development and the development of the service. Furthermore, reports completed by the independent visitor are sent to Ofsted by the organisation; on an internal report template. This questions the accuracy and independence of these reports.

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requires improvement

Staff do not understand or consistently apply the homes statement of purpose. The registered manager does not ensure that the aims and objectives of the service are disseminated to staff. For example, they are unclear how to access external support services that are promised in the statement of purpose. In addition, the registered person does not review or update internal policies and procedures relevant to the statement of purpose. As a result, the home does not have a clear focus that staff consistently apply.

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requires improvement

Partnership working arrangements between the registered manager and external agencies, such as local authorities and virtual schools, are weak and ineffectual. The registered manager does not appropriately challenge other agencies, in a timely manner, when they fail to provide young people with the services or support they need. Although other agencies praise the ‘commitment, knowledge and professionalism’ of the registered manager this does not ensure that young people are able to access the help they need to make sustainable progress.

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requires improvement

Staff say they feel supported by the registered manager and other senior staff. The registered manager ensures that staff receive regular supervision and an annual appraisal of their performance. They receive regular training that reflects young people’s individual needs.

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children's home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children's home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children's home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place, however, the children's home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children's home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This 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 Children's

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Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, 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,

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Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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