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

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC478001 1 SC478001

p.1

Longdon Hall School Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home provides care and accommodation for up to four children who have suffered early childhood trauma. A private company owns and operates this home. The home is run by a suitable manager, who has been registered with Ofsted since July 2020.

p.1

This monitoring visit

This home has not been inspected since 12 June 2019 when it received a good judgement. Ofsted has suspended assurance visits due to national lockdown restrictions in response to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic and is undertaking monitoring inspections when needed. This visit has been undertaken to monitor children’s welfare at the home. This is because of the length of time since the last inspection and safeguarding notifications received by Ofsted about children who go missing from home and are vulnerable to exploitation.

p.1

This monitoring visit

The inspector completed this visit remotely. Evidence has been gathered to inform the remote inspection through records provided by the registered manager, feedback provided by professionals and telephone discussions with staff and all three children in the home.

p.1

This monitoring visit

All three children enjoy trusting relationships with staff. They benefit from spending individual time with their key workers, who display a nurturing approach to their needs. As a result, children feel understood and cared for.

p.1

This monitoring visit

Staff ensure that children are safeguarded. Risk assessments are clear and up to date. Managers learn from incidents that happen and review plans to adapt the approach needed to reduce risk. This ensures that staff understand the children’s needs and vulnerabilities and are clear about how they need to respond to protect them. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC478001 2 There is evidence of good multi-agency working with professionals and detailed records are kept of meetings held, including strategy meetings. Prompt action is taken to inform children’s placing authorities and the police if there are concerns about children’s welfare. Staff follow the advice and guidance from key professionals. However, managers did not notify Ofsted of a significant event that occurred at the home. This incident involved a child receiving sexually explicit images from another child who does not live at the home. Managers did not feel the

p.1

This monitoring visit

threshold had been met and ensured that steps were taken to safeguard the child. Failure to inform Ofsted means that the regulator is unable to carry out its responsibility to monitor the home and the quality of care provided to children.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Feedback from professionals is positive. A social worker said, ‘The management team is great and very proactive. [Name of child] has made great strides since being at the home and is attending school every day.’ Staff and managers have established relationships with partner agencies, including a substance misuse worker, who supports the staff and attends team meetings. These relationships help the staff to understand how to support the children effectively.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Restraint is used rarely but appropriately. Children are thoroughly debriefed and great care is taken to use the least restrictive interventions and only as a last resort. Incidents of challenging behaviour are reducing. Consequences are given to children to help them develop positive behaviour. However, records relating to consequences lack detail. For example, not all records contain the date the consequence was implemented. Although managers review sanctions, they do not record the date of their review. As a result, it is not clear that managers review the appropriateness and effectiveness of consequences in a timely way.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Staff undertake a range of different training courses. Managers and staff have made good use of electronic learning during the pandemic. When shortfalls in training are identified by the manager, additional learning is facilitated in team meetings. This means that staff are equipped with the skills and knowledge to meet children’s needs well. However, the home does have a shortage of qualified staff, with only five of the 14 full-time members of staff qualified to the relevant diploma at level 3. Three members of staff are due to complete the qualification within the next two months and all are within the required timescale for completion.

p.2

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 12/06/2019 Full Good 25/07/2018 Full Good 03/07/2017 Full Good 02/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC478001 3

p.2

Recommendations

 The registered person should set out how staff are trained and supported to meet the child’s needs. Regulations 13 (2)(d)(e) require children’s homes to employ a sufficient number of suitably qualified, skilled and experienced persons in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.37)  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. In particular, staff should record the date when a sanction is implemented, and managers should record the date of their review of the effectiveness and appropriateness of the sanction. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that Ofsted is notified if an incident specified in regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d) occurs, or if there is an incident relating to the

p.3

Recommendations

protection, safeguarding or welfare of a child living in the home which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e)). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.10)

p.3

Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

p.3

Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000.

p.3

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Longdon Hall School Limited

p.3

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Atria, Spa Road, Bolton BL1 4AG

p.3

Inspector

Kev Brammer, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC478001 4 to achieve excellence in the care of children and children, 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

p.3

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.4

Inspector

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

p.4

Inspector

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

p.4