[2] They were also severely overcrowded; the log books of The Birches notes that on one occasion, 30 children were playing five-a-side football whilst that of 245 Hartshill Road records an instance of 20 children playing the game; in each case, the maximum number of residents in each home was exactly half those recorded - 15 at The Birches and 10 at Hartshill Road.
[3] On 2 October 1989 John Spurr, a deputy director of Staffordshire County Council's social services department, was telephoned by a Stoke-on-Trent solicitor, Kevin Williams, who was extremely concerned about a 15‑year‑old girl for whom he was acting in care proceedings.
[4] O'Neill later noted that, in such a straitened system, there had been "a clear policy decision to let [Tony Latham – the social worker in charge] get on with it and not to interfere as long as he 'produced the goods'.
[6] It began as a strict control regime; children were often required to wear pyjamas in order to prevent their absconding, but this practice encountered little success; the local police complained that they were still spending too much time dealing with runaways.
[13] An internal document from one home notes (in block capitals) that, amongst other rules:[14] Between 1983 and 1989, at least 132 children, aged nine and upwards, experienced what came to be called pindown.
Duration of individual punishments varied in length but, in one instance, lasted 84 continuous days - longer than the subsequent public inquiry.
It consisted of "the worst of institutional control" and stemmed initially from "an ill-digested understanding of behavioural psychology", was "inexplicable" and "wholly negative".
[25] The report asserted that pindown was intrinsically "unethical, unprofessional and unacceptable" and breached Community Homes Regulations and Secure Accommodation Provisions.
[29] The report led to the Quality Protects initiative, launched by the Department of Health in 1998, which sought to improve a range of childcare services.