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 is part of an independent school. It provides residential care for up to 16 children and young people between the ages of 11 and 19 with severe learning disabilities and associated needs, such as limited verbal communication. Children may also have autism.

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Information about this children’s home

The school offers term-time or 52-week residential placements.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 15 children were residing in the residential provision. Inspectors spent time with all children and took account of their views as part of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is led by a manager who is registered with Ofsted. 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: 14 January 2025

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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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

14/01/2025 Full Outstanding 21/11/2023 Full Good 07/02/2023 Full Good 18/10/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2523030 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, work was taking place to ensure that the home remains a clean and safe environment for children. There are homely touches throughout, including in the children’s bedrooms. The children’s rooms are decorated and furnished how children wish. In some areas of the home, it is evident that maintenance work has been carried out but that the area has not yet been repainted. A redecoration plan is in place to ensure that required works are completed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Well-considered transition plans give children every opportunity to have a good and strong start when moving into this home. The manager gathers information about the children, and this helps the staff understand how to meet the children’s needs. The suitability of children living together is fully considered. Consulting the children already living at the home about the arrival of a new child fosters a sense of inclusion and belonging, making it feel more like their home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are registered with the appropriate primary health services, ensuring access to essential health care. Staff are committed to building strong, collaborative relationships with health professionals, working closely to support each child’s well-being. When challenges arise, staff act as dedicated advocates, making sure key professionals remain involved so that children can achieve the best possible health outcomes. Specialist assessments are commissioned when needed, giving staff a deeper insight into children’s needs and guiding targeted support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children express their voice in many ways. Staff are attuned to this for each individual child and have the skills and knowledge to ensure that they can communicate with the children and understand requests. Staff also use various communication aids to work with the children and ensure that their wishes and needs are captured and acted on.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are making progress in relation to their education. This is achieved through the close collaboration of care staff, the therapy team and school staff, all coordinating their joint approach to the care and education of the children. Information is exchanged between education and care provisions, providing a consistent approach in supporting children to improve their outcomes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a wide range of experiences. Staff encourage children to participate in enjoyable activities in the home and community. For example, children visit theme parks and zoos, go for picnics and visit places of interest. These activities help children make memories, grow in confidence, be positively stimulated and stay physically fit.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff recognise the vital role that meaningful time with family and significant others plays in supporting a child’s well-being. They encourage children to see their families in line with their care plans. Staff support children to repair and strengthen positive Inspection report for children’s home: 2523030 4 relationships with those who are important to them when these have previously become fractured.

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

The staff know the children very well. They can detect any changes in the way that children are presenting and respond accordingly. This means that children are being supported at the earliest opportunity to enable them to remain calm and engaged in positive activities, reducing the likelihood of an escalation in disruptive behaviour or becoming distressed.

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

The therapy team has a key role in improving outcomes for children. It collates data regarding children’s presentation and analyses this information to further strengthen approaches to care. This provides it with rationale about why children are responding in certain ways. The therapist then produces specialised plans for the staff and children so that there is a focus on either changing a behaviour or learning a new skill.

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

Risk management assessments provide staff with detailed information to guide their care practice. However, for one child, a key issue was removed despite it’s continuing to pose a risk. Positive behaviour support plans outline clear strategies for staff to follow when a child becomes heightened. Although an incident was witnessed when a child attempted to pull a staff member’s hair, staff did not tie their hair back as advised in the plan. This had the potential to increase the risk of injury and represented an avoidable hazard.

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

The manager takes allegations against staff seriously and follows safeguarding procedures when concerns are raised about staff practice. This includes sharing information with external professionals, including the local authority designated officer, in line with safeguarding guidance. Effective scrutiny and discussions with staff, aimed at learning from incidents, promote a learning culture and ensure the safety of children.

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

There is a robust medication process. When medication errors have occurred, the manager has ensured that effective action has been taken in response. Staff have received extra training and support. A nurse has also been appointed, strengthening systems to prevent further errors from being made.

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

Staff have held children when it has been necessary to keep everyone safe. However, the recording of these incidents is inconsistent. Records do not always contain the pertinent information that can be easily accessed to reflect the whole incident within one record. Staff do not routinely undertake debrief meetings with children in accordance with regulation. There are shortfalls in the manager’s oversight of these records, and they have not always identified inaccuracies within records. This is a missed opportunity to ensure that lessons are learned and that changes are embedded into practice.

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

Safer recruitment practice is followed, with a similar recruitment process undertaken prior to temporary staff working in the home. Although one temporary worker supported a child on a one-to-one ratio without prior knowledge of the child or being equipped with Inspection report for children’s home: 2523030 5 essential information, this is not routine practice. It would be beneficial for the manager to ensure that agency staff are equipped with essential information and a skill set to meet children’s needs, which include autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, prior to them starting work in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is child focused and sets high expectations for staff. She leads by example and supports staff to improve and develop their care practice. The staff team is stable and enjoys its work. Staff morale is good, and staff have positive relationships with each other. This provides a harmonious environment for staff and children and leads to consistency of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive training in relation to children’s specific needs, such as autism, and communication systems training. This gives staff a deep understanding of children’s needs and guides them in how best to respond. As a result, children feel understood and enjoy close and trusting relationships with staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The managers have good oversight of all key documents, which they show approval of by signing. However, one child’s significant health concern was recorded differently in three documents. Managers signed to show their agreement with the information contained in the document despite this information being incorrect. Leaders and managers have identifed that the current electronic recording systems make it difficult to link documents and, in some instances, have hindered managers’ oversight. As a result, several new electronic recording platforms are being tried and tested to strengthen the existing systems.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well equipped in their roles and speak highly of the supportive environment created by managers. They benefit from regular professional supervision, although the quality of the records from these sessions is variable as some records do not include reflective practice. This is a missed opportunity to reflect with staff and explore their learning, knowledge and skills.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are child focused and used as an opportunity to reflect on each child’s needs. Managers discuss challenges to care practice and develop solutions. This is further strengthened by the support and guidance provided by the therapy team, which is actively involved in meetings.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers work in partnership with relevant external agencies. This collaboration means that children have professionals who strive to provide good care. Parents of the children gave positive feedback about the care and support provided to their children. One parent said, ‘I can’t sing their praises enough. They are fantastic and absolutely brilliant with [child’s name]. They’ve helped [them] to make so much progress.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager provides a thorough induction for new staff. This includes face-to-face and online training and shadowing of experienced staff before starting in the role. The Inspection report for children’s home: 2523030 6 manager ensures that staff share the company’s vision and ethos. They recruit staff who show a passion for improving the lives of children. The home does use temporary staff, who have a reduced induction into the home. An example was observed of an agency member of staff used a guided walk with a child when they should not be involved in these instances. The manager needs to ensure that agency staff thoroughly adhere to their role and expectations while on site and supporting children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2523030 7

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, The 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.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(v))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to risk assessments containing relevant information about the children. In addition, staff need to follow the risk assessments and positive behaviour support plans that are in place. 29 Dec 2025

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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—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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; 29 Dec 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2523030 8 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to the manager ensuring that there is consistent recording of information relating to children in all files. In addition, this relates to staff receiving reflective supervision and this being appropriately recorded.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy ("the behaviour management policy") which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and 29 Dec 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2523030 9 a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (2) (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to the manager ensuring that following an incident of physical restraint, staff receive a debrief in line with regulations. Furthermore, records need to reflect the exact actions of staff during the time of the incident.

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Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that the home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of the children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15 Paragraph 3.9’)  The registered person must have systems in place say that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practise from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practise and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61 paragraph 13.2)

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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 Inspection report for children’s home: 2523030 10 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 11

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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

Zoey Lee, Social Care Inspector Lizette Watts, Social Care Inspector Linda Mason, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2523030 12 regulates and inspects 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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Inspectors

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