Children's Home run by Platform Childcare Ltd in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC479230 1 SC479230

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Platform Childcare Ltd

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private company. Since the last inspection, managers have successfully applied to increase the number of children who can live in the home. The home is now registered for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties.

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This monitoring visit

The home was last inspected in June 2019. This visit was carried out to enable the regulator to obtain an up-to-date assessment of children’s lived experience at the home, including how well they are safeguarded.

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This monitoring visit

Due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, Ofsted did not carry out a physical visit to the home. The inspector gathered evidence in several different ways, including holding telephone calls with the manager and the staff, and asking them to provide electronic documents for the inspector to review.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager has recently left the home. This was a planned move and the deputy manager is now managing the home and has started the process of applying to be the new registered manager.

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This monitoring visit

There are currently three children living in the home. Children are cared for by a supportive and caring staff team who know them well.

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This monitoring visit

Managers and staff work hard to make sure that the home is a warm and welcoming place for children to live. Staff have helped children to personalise their bedrooms, which are beautifully decorated to children’s individual tastes. Children take pride in their bedrooms, which helps to increase their self-esteem and self-worth.

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This monitoring visit

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, staff have continued to promote children’s learning and education. In some cases, this has been achieved by staff working Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC479230 2 creatively. For example, staff helped a child to learn his letters and numbers by playing games with him outdoors.

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This monitoring visit

Staff understand the importance of multi-agency working in the interests of children. Feedback from social workers working with staff and managers at the home is extremely positive.

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This monitoring visit

Staff have helped children to continue with their hobbies and interests during the COVID-19 pandemic. For instance, staff supported a child who was self-isolating due to coronavirus to bake a cake from his bedroom. Staff encourage one child, who is affected by attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, to exercise outside on his scooter. This calms the child and helps him to manage his anxieties.

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This monitoring visit

Staff support children to attend health appointments and consequently children’s physical health needs are met. Staff ensure that additional support for children’s emotional health is available when it is needed.

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This monitoring visit

Managers do not use monitoring systems to make sure the assessments are up to date and include the triggers for children’s behaviours. They do not review strategies for managing children’s behaviours when the strategies in place are ineffective. As a result, one child’s behaviours have escalated in severity and children are left vulnerable to the emotional impact of these behaviours.

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This monitoring visit

The manager does not always inform Ofsted of notifiable incidents. This includes incidents when a child protection enquiry has taken place, when children make allegations against staff and when police involvement has occurred in relation to a serious incident. This means that Ofsted has not always had the most information about the quality of care that children living in the home receive. However, the actions taken by managers were appropriate.

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This monitoring visit

Monthly monitoring reports are of poor quality. The independent visitor has not identified the shortfalls identified by the inspector in relation to notifiable incidents.

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This monitoring visit

Despite the restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, managers work hard to ensure that staff have been able to complete relevant training to help them to meet children’s needs. This includes training to keep children safe. At the time of this monitoring visit, face-to-face training in first aid for two staff was slightly out of date. Managers were aware of this shortfall and had identified dates for staff to receive this training. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC479230 3

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 04/06/2019 Full Good 11/01/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 15/05/2018 Full Good 16/02/2018 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC479230 4

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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, 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 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

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))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to managers reviewing incidents and then updating risk assessments with information about children’s triggers and with strategies to keep children and staff safe. This also relates to the quality of monthly monitoring reports. 9 March 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child —

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Requirement Due date

is instigated; or 9 March 20201 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC479230 5 concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to notifying the regulator when a notifiable incident occurs.

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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.

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Information about this inspection

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

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Platform Childcare Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Suite 33, Anglesey Business Centre, Anglesey Road, Burton-On-Trent, Staffordshire DE14 3NT

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Inspector

Karen Gillingwater, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC479230 6 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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