Children's home run by Longboat Special Education Ltd

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

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Information about this children’s home

This home forms part of an independent school. It provides residential care for up to 16 children and young people aged between 11 and 19 with severe learning disabilities and associated needs, such as limited verbal communication. Children may have autism. The school offers term-time or 52-week residential placements. There were 10 children resident at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

There is a school on the same site which the children attend. Inspectors only inspected the social care provision on this site.

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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: 7 February 2023

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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: 2523030 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/02/2023 Full Good 18/10/2022 Full Inadequate 07/12/2021 Full Good 04/12/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2523030 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know the children well. Children develop trusting and secure relationships with the staff. Children are helped to make good progress from their starting points. One parent said, ‘I can see the relationships he has built with the staff. He has really come on in leaps and bounds.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand children’s individual communication needs and use communication aids effectively. The support of the speech and language therapist strengthens this further.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are provided with a wealth of experiences that they were not able to access before coming to the home. For some of the children, this has enabled them to access the community for the first time in a long time.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported in a variety of ways to take part in fun activities. Staff have worked creatively to plan a weekly club where all the children can enjoy a fun trip out. The dynamics of the group are managed well to ensure that all children benefit from this activity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Members of staff from care, education and the therapy team work together to promote children’s educational attendance and progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff have a good understanding of children’s emotional health needs. Staff work with child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) and regularly review interventions. In addition, they hold multidisciplinary meetings at which the therapy team help staff to review children’s plans. Staff are proactive in reviewing plans and making changes to help children’s progress with their emotional health and well- being. For some of the children, this has led to a reduction in the need for medication.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to make substantial progress with their independence skills and their personal care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Family time is promoted in a variety of ways. Staff have gone above and beyond to help two children to go on holiday with their families.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Overall, the home is beautifully maintained, and bedrooms are personalised. Leaders continually review the home environment, depending on the needs of the children.

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

Children’s risks are known and well understood. There is an integrated approach to risk assessment, with good coordinated working by members of staff from care, education and the therapy team. Risk assessments are regularly reviewed and staff Inspection report for children's home: 2523030 4 have a good understanding of strategies to use to reduce risks. Careful planning and understanding of children’s needs helps children to have safe experiences and enjoy fun activities in the home and community.

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

Care staff know how to report any concerns. The manager conducts her role as safeguarding lead effectively. She ensures that relevant professionals are notified and that appropriate action is taken. The manager uses professional curiosity to ensure that matters are appropriately investigated. The local authority designated officer said the manager was thorough, open and transparent in the management of potential concerns.

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

Leaders ensure that staff who work at this home are safe to do so. There are robust processes in place for the safer recruitment of staff. There is evidence of follow-up when additional information is required.

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

There is good oversight of physical interventions. There has been a reduction in the use of physical interventions with children. Staff are using a variety of de-escalation techniques and alternative approaches.

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

Medication administration processes are managed effectively. When appropriate, children are supported to take responsibility for handling their own medication, in preparation for adulthood. All children’s medication plans are regularly reviewed. When there is a medication error, there is a strong management response.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is dedicated and enthusiastic in her role. She has good management oversight of the home and has robust audits in place. The manager is experienced. She understands the needs of the service, the strengths and the areas for development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been changes in the staff team. Despite these changes, a core group of staff have enabled children to experience stability and consistency.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision. This includes reflective discussions that cover areas such as safeguarding. Staff say they feel well supported and have regular opportunities to share any concerns.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive training and development opportunities. The training provided is focused on upskilling staff to meet children’s specific needs. For example, staff have received training on post-traumatic stress disorder to help a child who has this diagnosis. The home’s psychologist and speech and language therapist also provide regular training to support staff development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager communicates with parents and professionals effectively. For example, a social worker said the manager’s communication is ‘fantastic’. The manager is receptive to advice and guidance from other agencies. This ensures that there is a collaborative approach in implementing new plans. Inspection report for children's home: 2523030 5 There is positive feedback from other agencies. For example, external professionals have commented that the positive behaviour support plans used at the home are worthy of wider dissemination.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s recording system is cumbersome. Information is not always recorded in a clear and effective way. This sometimes leads to inconsistency in what is recorded. The manager is aware of the shortfall. Inspection report for children's home: 2523030 6

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Recommendation

 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. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion, and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. Information should also be clear and accessible to staff and other agencies. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: 2523030 7

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Longboat Special Education Ltd

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspectors

Bev Allison, Social Care Inspector Emma Dacres, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2523030 8 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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