Children's home run by Longboat Special Education Ltd

Inspection report children’s home: 2523030 1 Registered provider: Longboat Special Education Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This children’s home forms part of an independent school. It provides residential care for up to 16 children aged between 11 and 19 with severe learning disabilities and associated needs, such as limited verbal communication. Children may have autism spectrum disorder. The school offers residential term-time only placements or 52-week placements. There were nine children resident at the time of the inspection.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The registered manager is suitably qualified and has been in post since May 2019.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

p.1

inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

p.1

inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded.

p.1

inadequate

Date of last inspection: 7 December 2021

p.1

inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2523030 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/12/2021 Full Good 04/12/2019 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 2523030 3

p.2

inadequate

Some children’s experiences are positive. However, children’s experiences are impaired due to serious concerns about staff’s ability to manage children’s behaviour safely and effectively. Some children are continuing to experience many restraints. While there have been efforts to reduce the number of restraints, there are periods when the numbers increase rather than reduce. Many of these restraints take place on the floor and carry the most risk.

p.3

inadequate

Managers have an awareness of children’s care and support needs. For instance, staff know that for one child, at certain times of the year, their anxiety level increases. Managers have worked with the child’s family to try to find the reasons for this seasonal change in behaviour, to assist the child to feel more settled.

p.3

inadequate

For some children, the amount of medication they took before moving to this home has reduced. For other children, they now have a much healthier weight since coming to live at this home. This means that for some children, their health outcomes are improved.

p.3

inadequate

Children have been supported to go on a holiday. Staff carried out extensive work to ensure this holiday experience was positive. Children took short trips to the site of the proposed holiday as part of a transition plan. This forward thinking has enabled children to enjoy new and exciting experiences.

p.3

inadequate

The living environment is suitable for the children’s complex care needs. All areas are well maintained. The home is modern and warm. Children’s bedrooms are personalised to their individual likes and dislikes.

p.3

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

Children have been put at risk because staff have not always followed their behaviour support plans, produced by the organisation’s own on-site therapy team. These plans direct staff as to what to do if children exhibit challenging behaviours.

p.3

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

Children have been restrained on the floor before staff have tried alternative, and less-restrictive, methods of de-escalation detailed in their plans.

p.3

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

Several staff whistle-blew to an inspector about their concerns. They said that there has been an increase in unsafe restraints for children.

p.3

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

The recording of restraints does not clearly show the efforts made by staff to use non-restrictive methods of de-escalation. This means that any overview by a manager to consider the safety of restraint cannot be effective. Inspection report children’s home: 2523030 4 A child has been injured during a restraint by staff. Although staff monitored the child’s injuries, they failed to access adequate emergency healthcare advice for the child’s head injury. This means that this child’s health and well-being have been put at risk.

p.3

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

This home has a robust safer recruitment policy. Managers ensure that all staff are vetted effectively before they work with vulnerable children. However, on two occasions, references provided for employees when they move on, did not declare concerns about their practice.

p.4

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

Children now have access to an independent advocate. It is early days, and this role has yet to be fully embedded into safeguarding practice. There is not a clear process to enable children to say that they want to communicate with the advocate. This is a missed opportunity to further safeguard children, and to provide an independent voice.

p.4

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

Health and safety procedures relating to the environment are effective. All children and staff have had the opportunity to take part in a practice fire drill. When health and safety issues are identified, these are put right.

p.4

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

Safeguarding agencies report no concerns about the way staff follow procedures once a safeguarding concern arises.

p.4

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

Medication administration is generally safe. There have been very few errors in medication administration. Any errors are resolved, and staff are given retraining if necessary.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager is supported by a trainee manager. Succession planning is taking place for when the current registered manager moves to a different role for this provider.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers take too long to review incidents where children have been restrained by staff on the floor. When the trainee manager has undertaken a review of restraint practice, there has been a lack of effective oversight by the registered manager. Records in relation to incidents of restraint lack detail. Multi-disciplinary meetings are convened. However, these are not always soon enough after the restraint has taken place. Efforts to reduce the number of restraints, in particular, floor restraints, have not yet brought about positive, sustained change.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers have not ensured that all staff are up to date with training in the communication methods that children use. Several staff have not undertaken training in communication methods. This means opportunities have been missed to identify children’s wishes and feelings. Inspection report children’s home: 2523030 5 Whistle-blowers have told Ofsted that they have tried to tell leaders about their concerns in relation to restraints. Several staff members told the inspectors that their concerns have not been listened to. Leaders and managers have missed the opportunity to improve practice.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

At the last inspection, one requirement and two recommendations were made. At this inspection, compliance notices have been served to address shortfalls in safeguarding children and in leadership and management, along with two further requirements and two recommendations. Inspection report children’s home: 2523030 6

p.5

Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet 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 within the given timescales.

p.6

Requirement Due date

*The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.6

Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(b))

p.6

Requirement Due date

This relates to children being restrained on the floor, and the lack of recording about what non-restrictive measures were attempted beforehand.

p.6

Requirement Due date

Also, this particularly refers to staff not following risk assessments and behaviour support plans which identify known and potential risk for children. 28 November 2022

p.6

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—

p.6

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.6

Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

p.6

Requirement Due date

This specifically refers to the registered manager not robustly reviewing every time a child is restrained. 28 November 2022

p.6

Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that— 28 November 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 2523030 7 the health and well-being needs of children are met;

p.6

Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being.

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.7

Requirement Due date

take part in activities, and attend appointments, for the purpose of meeting the child’s health and well-being needs. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(iii))

p.7

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to staff not seeking further health advice when a child has a head injury.

p.7

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

p.7

Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

p.7

Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b))

p.7

Requirement Due date

This relates to staff training relating to the children’s communication methods so that children’s wishes and feelings can be ascertained. 28 November 2022

p.7

Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

p.7

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children understand they can speak to an independent advocate, Independent Reviewing Officer, Ofsted inspectors or other relevant persons if they have concerns about their safety. This relates to children being able to communicate independently with an advocate. (‘Guide to Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.11).

p.7

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that their organisation has arrangements in place that set out clearly the processes and the principles for sharing information. The arrangement should cover how information will be shared within their own Inspection report children’s home: 2523030 8 organisation/agency and with others who may be involved in a child’s life. This relates to the provider not sharing information about staff practice concerns within a reference. (‘Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018’, page 19, paragraph 3).

p.7

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 children’s home: 2523030 9

p.8

Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

p.9

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Longboat Special Education Ltd

p.9

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hilltop Farm, Danethorpe Lane, Danethorpe, Newark, Nottinghamshire NG24 2PD

p.9

Inspectors

Simon Hunter, Social Care Inspector Catherine Honey, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2523030 10 to 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

p.9

Inspectors

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.10

Inspectors

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

p.10

Inspectors

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

p.10